Morena Baccarin Casted as Deadpool's Romantic Interest

Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Comics have announced they are moving ahead with the production of the Deadpool film, their long-gestating X-Men spinoff project. Tim Miller is set to direct, while Ryan Reynolds, who played the part in the 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, is confirmed to star. Reynolds even tweeted fans, "Uh... It's Chimichanga Time" back in December. The screenwriting duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick of Zombieland fame have long been attached to write the script has already come up with an initial draft.

An exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter has it that Morena Baccarin who is best known for her TV roles on such hit shows as Homeland, V, and Firefly has nabbed the female lead in the upcoming Deadpool movie. She was reportedly one of a handful of actresses shortlisted for the role of Reynolds' character's love interest. She is set to portray a character described only as someone who "grapples with falling for a man with a hideously scarred face." Aside from Baccarin, the studio has previously already confirmed that Gina Carano and T. J. Miller will be joining the Deadpool cast.

A leaked first draft of the Reese and Wernick script reveals a Deadpool character who is more in keeping with the occasional superhero otherwise known as the "Merc With The Mouth" from the original Marvel comic books. As any fan who is familiar with the character knows, Deadpool never stops talking, is nearly indestructible, keeps his disfigured, cancer-ridden face always hidden from view with his red and black mask, doesn't take himself nor anything else seriously, and, as is his wont, constantly breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience directly from time to time. Clearly then, the script deviates totally from the origin story of the Deadpool that was seen in the 2009 X-Men film, a guy who has no cancer, no mask nor costume and, worse of all, no mouth. No wonder then that the studio bosses kept the project mothballed for so long. That is, until fans began demanding for the film following the release of a test footage based on the script sometime in 2012.

According to Fox, Deadpool is scheduled for release to theaters on February 12, 2016. Shooting for the film is expected to start next month.