'Martian' screenwriter Drew Goddard to direct X-Men/Deadpool spinoff 'X-Force'
Ryan Reynolds's Deadpool will figure prominently in X-Force (Photo: 20th Century Fox)
Fox has hired The Martian screenwriter Drew Goddard to direct and write X-Men spinoff movie X-Force.
The movie will be centered on Deadpool and Cable, who lead a band of ruthless mutant warriors. Producers are Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds, and Lauren Shuler Donner.
Fox confirmed the news Thursday. The studio has been expanding its universe of movies based on the X-Men characters and has three titles out next year: X-Men: The New Mutants, directed by The Fault in Our Stars helmer Josh Boone, will open April 13; Deadpool 2, directed by David Leitch and starring Reynolds and Josh Brolin, is set for a June 1 launch; and Kinberg’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix gets released on Nov. 2.
Goddard is already directing and producing Fox’s Bad Times at the El Royale, starring Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Bridges, with production expected to start early next year. Goddard is also set to produce the movie. He received an Academy Award nomination last year for best adapted screenplay for The Martian, which was adapted from the Andy Weir novel.
Goddard directed Hemsworth in 2012’s The Cabin in the Woods from a script he co-wrote with Joss Whedon. He also has a screenplay writing credit on World War Z.
Goddard is repped by UTA. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
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