[link]


After the hugely successful box-office weekend for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a sequel was pretty much as good as greenlit. Therefore, it probably came as no surprise to many, that a sequel is indeed moving forward. However, the news of note on this subject, is that the long-rumored spinoff film for character, Deadpool will also move forward, as Fox has officially put the project into developmental.

The Wolverine sequel is looking to tackle the storyline in Japan that was documented in the legendary 1982 miniseries (collaborated by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.) The short-but-sweet series, was actually the first real work that brought depth into the previously "generic" (dare I say) makeup of Wolverine's early years in the X-Men comics. (After coming off an initial introduction as an antagonist for the Hulk.)

We'll have plenty of time over the next few years to dig deep into this one. However, it should be noted that adhering to the Japanese storyline makes secret ninja clan, The Hand the villain(s) of the film, by default. (Just saying...) I also wouldn't be surprised to see The Silver Samurai emerge as the primary villain, and perhaps a cameo from Japanese mutant, and former X-Man, Sunfire. (Pure conjecture, guys.)

Anyway, on to Deadpool! I've already written about this, so for now, I won't go into the obvious plot problems. However, since this spinoff is being widely reported, I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that, thanks to one of the hidden endings, Wade Wilson/Deadpool is actually revealed to be alive. For those of us who saw Wolverine, we know there's going to be a lot of continuity clean-up that will need to be done before this project can come to us in state that's workable. It will be interesting to see how this one is handled. I'm sure there are probably forces at Fox that will try anything to make sure that Ryan Reynolds' pretty boy mug gets to shine. However, for those of us with, I don't know....respect for the source material, who prefer things to be GOOD, we would rather see Reynolds play the scarred, red-costumed, "merc with a mouth," we all know and love.

Given what he had to work with, Reynolds did an excellent job playing Wade Wilson/Deadpool in Wolverine. I think good things are in store for the fans. While it may not have been an artistic masterpiece, Wolverine may have laid the groundwork for a series of X-spinoffs that I am genuinely excited to see. It's a good time to be a fanboy.