Fox announces ‘Deadpool’ film with Ryan Reynolds for 2016, changes other releases

Nerds, geeks, fanboys at large are rejoicing at the news from Fox that a Deadpool film is finally going ahead. Moerover, Ryan Reynolds will indeed return as the popular X-Men character.

Thursday, the studio announced that the movie will hit theaters in February of 2016 . Tim Miller is set to direct the film, with Ryan Reynolds long rumored to star, although no deal is set.

The Deadpool fans can’t wait for a film, so not they can countdown to 2016

THR notes that “The beloved Marvel character Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, is a talkative mercenary with a host of powers, including the ability to heal rapidly. Reynolds played Wilson in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, while Scott Adkins played the character of Deadpool after Wilson had transformed.”

Following some footage released at the SDCC Reynolds spoke on the progress of the film: “The movie has been in a state of limbo for a while. There was such an overpowering reaction to the footage, you sort of feel like, ‘Oh, so we weren’t crazy for our reasons for loving this character, for loving this role.’ It’s interesting to see the power of the Internet. It’s awe-inspiring, actually,” the actor told the Niagara Falls Review. “And it’s neat that Twitter and Facebook and Instagram can move mountains when used in the right way.”

Fox also made other key changes to its release slate, including taking New Regency’s Assassin’s Creed off the 2015 summer calendar.

The adaptation of the Ubisoft video game, starring Michael Fassbender, was set to open Aug. 7 but won’t be ready in time, according to insiders. The script has gone through several rewrites, while the production itself has grappled with scheduling issues. Fox insiders say Assassin’s Creed will now hit theaters in 2016.

As a result, Josh Trank‘s Fantastic Four reboot will move from June 19, 2015, to the Aug. 7 spot, while YA film adaptation Paper Towns — based on the book by John Green — will move up from July 31, 2015, to June 19

Deadpool will arrive in theaters Feb. 12, 2016

The Fantastic Four moves to Aug. 7, 2015