Deadpool 2 to begin filming early next year?

Deadpool's tremendous box office takings and critical acclaim made it clear that we'd be seeing more of the Merc with a Mouth. Deadpool 2 received the official go-ahead back in April, with Ryan Reynolds, director Tim Miller and writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese all returning to deliver more R-rated, fourth-wall-breaking shenanigans. Also set to reprise his producer duties is Simon Kinberg who says the development process is moving along nicely, offering a glimpse into the movie's timeline.

“The guys, Wernick and Rhett, are working on the script, and we hope to have the script very soon,” Kinberg told Collider during a red carpet interview before the Saturn Awards. “We hope to shoot the movie some time at the beginning of next year.”

The first film completely shattered expectations, proving that a lesser-known comic book character could survive a brutal first impression (ahem, Wolverine prequel) and go on to become one of the highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time. It's stands to reason that the sequel will be a continuation of that.

While story details are at a minimum right now - you know, as they're still writing the thing - Deadpool himself confirmed a fan-favorite character for the sequel in a post-credits scene. His sidekick in part two will be Cable. That leaves the door open for a ton of potential plots as the pair are frenemies in the comics, starring side-by-side over numerous titles. As for who will play Cable? That's the big casting mystery at the moment. But we've got some suggestions until an official announcement is made.

Images: 20th Century Fox

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.