Twentieth Century Fox hit an unexpected goldmine earlier this year when they released Deadpool, which rode its positive buzz to the status of highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time. Naturally, the studio quickly moved forward on a sequel, seeing the Merc With a Mouth as one of its most popular and marketable characters. It's true that Deadpool 2 recently lost director Tim Miller, but the hunt for a replacement is underway and the project should only encounter a slight delay when it's all said and done.
With comic book movies very much in vogue these days, Fox would be foolish if they were not thinking about the longterm in their vision for the franchise. If everything goes according to plan, there will be a Deadpool 3 coming through the pipeline eventually, and Wade Wilson will have some friends to fight alongside with.
Per a report in THR, Fox is already in the early stages of putting together a third Deadpool movie with the intention of making the X-Force involved as well. Fans may recall that an X-Force film has long been in development, and following the success of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds said that project was a "priority" for the future. In an age where crossovers and team-ups are more important than standard solo character vehicles, it's no surprise this is what the studio has in mind.
The seeds for this are being planted in Deadpool 2, which will feature the cinematic debut of Cable. The time-traveling mutant is known for being a member of the X-Force team in the source mateiral, so it's only logical that the films would follow a similar route. Simon Kinberg has also mentioned previously that the X-Force movie could be R-rated, which would obviously be very much in line with the Deadpool brand. Given how beloved Wade Wilson is, Fox would be smart to essentially combine X-Force with any continuation of the Deadpool series, since they'll be able to use the wisecracking mercenary as a huge selling point in promotion.
THR notes that Fox is "readying a filmmaker search" for Deadpool 3, so it will be interesting to see who they go with. From the sound of it, whoever comes in to helm Deadpool 2 may not be the same director for the threequel. That could ultimately lead to entertaining results; there are numerous franchises in the industry that bring in new creative voices for each installment to keep things feeling fresh. Reynolds, of course, will be heavily involved, as will the Deadpool writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. With no shortage of qualified directors available, mixing things up behind-the-camera couldn't hurt. It would be a shame if the studio's true viable property turned stale, but right now there are exciting possibilities to consider.
Source: THR
