Fox to unleash ‘X-Men’ spinoff ‘Deadpool’ in February 2016

Deadpool, the wisecracking mercenary antihero, has proved just about unkillable in the pages of Marvel comics. His movie appears to be equally resilient: 20th Century Fox has announced it will release the long-gestating “X-Men� spinoff “Deadpool� on Feb. 12, 2016.

Tim Miller, a visual-effects artist who worked on “X-Men� and “X-Men 2,� is to direct “Deadpool.� Although no cast members have been announced, Ryan Reynolds has long been associated with the project and played a version of the character in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.�

Confirmation of “Deadpool’s� release comes on the heels of leaked test footage (shot years ago) that features Reynolds playing the character, a smart-mouthed assassin who wears a head-to-toe red suit and provides self-referential running commentary while doing his dirty work. (You can watch the footage, which would definitely be R-rated, on YouTube.)

Reynolds recently addressed the footage in an interview with the Niagra Falls Review, suggesting the leak could help get things rolling. “The movie has been in a state of limbo for a while,� he said. “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.’�

He added, “It’s interesting to see the power of the Internet. It’s awe-inspiring, actually.�

In building out its “X-Men� universe, Fox is keeping up with the superhero arms race between Disney’s Marvel Studios and Warner Bros., which is readying a lineup of DC Comics movies.

In addition to dating “Deadpool,� Fox also shifted some of its other releases, including taking the video game adaptation “Assassin’s Creed� off the calendar. The film starring Michael Fassbender was scheduled to hit theaters Aug. 7, 2015, but will presumably open on a later date.

Josh Trank’s “Fantastic Four� reboot will now open on the date vacated by “Assassin’s Creed,� moving the superhero movie back from June 19. And the young-adult romance “Paper Towns,� based on the John Green book,� will now open on that date, moving up from July 31, 2015.

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