Flanked by Cable (Josh Brolin) and Domino (Zazie Beetz), the Merc With a Mouth is currently whipping up a storm on the streets of Vancouver, Canada as reshoots continue on the set of David Leitch’s comic book sequel, Deadpool 2.
Buoyed by the landmark success of its cinematic predecessor – $783 million for a film that was initially written off as a creative risk is certainly not to be balked at – there’s a real air of confidence swirling around Fox’s follow-up, and the fact that the Merc is arguably one of the most popular comic book characters in the world right now led to the formation of a standalone animated series over at FX.
Headed up by Donald Glover (Spider-Man: Homecoming), the adult-oriented show was first announced back in May, during which time FX was riding high after Legion‘s warm reception. Almost a year later though, and there’s still no mention of a firm premiere date for the animated series, and now, we know why.
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Deadline’s reporting tonight that FX has pulled the plug on the show, meaning it won’t be moving forward.
“Due to creative differences, FX, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover and Marvel Television have agreed to part ways on Marvel’s Deadpool animated series,” the network said in a statement Saturday. “FX will no longer be involved with the project. FX and Marvel have an ongoing relationship through our partnership on Legion, which will continue.”
At the moment, it’s unclear whether Marvel TV and ABC Studios will continue pursuing the project, but given that Deadpool is owned by Fox, the show would have to be made with another “Fox production entity.” At least, until Disney’s merger with the company goes through. And right now, there’s only one other Fox TV studio – that being 20th Century Fox TV.
In other words, it sounds like things are going to grind to a halt for the Deadpool animated series, which is truly a shame given the talent that was on board. Not to mention the fact that you can never have enough of the Merc with a Mouth. Of course, this cancellation doesn’t mean the project is 100% dead, but we don’t imagine it’ll take flight anytime soon. As always, though, we’ll be sure to let you know once we learn more.