Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Comics have given their long-in-development "X-Men" spinoff, "Deadpool," a February 12, 2016 release date, ComingSoon.net reported.
Ryan Reynolds will play the talkative mercenary anti-hero, according to Entertainment Weekly. But The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported that no deal is in place yet.
Tim Miller is directing the upcoming film with Lauren Shuler Donner and Marvel's Kevin Feige producing.
Reynolds played Deadpool, whose alter-ego is Wade Winston Wilson, in the 2009 superhero film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," while Scott Adkins played the Marvel Comics character after Wilson had transformed.
Deadpool was created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza. He first appeared in comic book series "New Mutants" Issue No. 98 in February 1991.
If Reynolds does reprise his role in the film, it would mark his first superhero project since the 2011 DC Comics film "Green Lantern," which only grossed $116.6 million in the US and $103.3 million in international markets, according to Box Office Mojo.
News of "Deadpool" release date comes just weeks after test footage of the project leaked for a short time on the Internet. The said clip features Reynolds, and though it was taken several years ago it sparked intense conversation on social media.
In a recent interview with Niagara Falls Review, Reynolds commented on the leaked test footage, implying that the positive reaction on social media helped move the process along.
"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," said the 37-year-old actor. "And it's neat that Twitter and Facebook and Instagram can move mountains when used in the right way."
Fox also made other significant changes to its release slate. The film studio took Michael Fassbender-starring "Assassin's Creed" out of its August 7, 2015 release date. It is now without a release date.
Also, the upcoming reboot of "The Fantastic Four," starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Michael B. Jordan, was moved from its original June 19, 2015 release date to the just vacated Aug. 7 slot.
Finally, John Green's film adaptation of "Paper Towns" was moved from July 31, 2015 to June 19.