Ryan Reynolds is moving forward, and not with his ex-wife Scarlett Johansson. Deadpool fans, the most universally successful (so far) superhero film of 2016 is officially getting a sequel. There didn’t appear to be any doubt when the “merc with a mouth” exploded into theaters and defied all expectations with his irreverent humor, graphic violence, and self-aware style of parody.

Technically, Deadpool isn’t the first movie to be self-aware. It’s merely the first one to star a comic book superhero. Arnold Schwarzenegger has starred in two movies which followed the concept, both about as popular with critics. Last Action Hero was a spoof on the action genre and its stereotypes, and Expendables 2 was the first of the three to not take itself seriously, especially after Chuck Norris came on screen and literally reiterated a joke he inspired.

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It has been rumored ever since the clever Deadpool end credits scene that Ryan Reynolds would be moving forward with a sequel, and Cable would be in it. It was expected, even as the box office rocketed to amazing levels, that a sequel would be inevitable. However, it wasn’t until CinemaCon on Thursday that Fox Studios officially confirmed it.

At this point, many fans of the first film are probably thinking it was only a matter of time. They might not realize that before the movie was pushed ahead with the support of fans who demanded that X-Men Origins: Wolverine not be only the Deadpool we remember, Fox wasn’t seeing much success from the X-Men franchise. In true Deadpool fashion, Ryan Reynolds even poked fun at the first attempt several times. Moving forward almost from the moment the cameras cooled down, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were already working on the sequel.

Even the creative team behind the blockbuster hit with audiences and critics alike will be back. It’s unknown if they will be attempting to make another X-Men character entirely through CG and voice acting like they did with Colossus. The original film did make enough money to almost guarantee more characters next time, and Cable could be a tricky one to get right.

Keep it in mind that Deadpool was made with the fans in mind, and it’s unlikely that they are going to change that with Deadpool 2. The specifics behind the sequel are unknown for now, aside from the inclusion of Deadpool’s comic book “straight man” sidekick, but we can expect much of the same self-aware humor that made the first one a hit. As Ryan Reynolds moves forward with it, his almost trademarked sense of humor will certainly be a big draw.

Fox Confirms Deadpool 2 Will Return With Ryan Reynolds And Director Tim Miller https://t.co/QN4u155ssA pic.twitter.com/A9WoJqXjyH — Game Informer (@gameinformer) April 14, 2016

Some would argue that Reynolds was meant to be Deadpool from the moment he had his breakout role in Van Wilder: Party Liaison. Acting across from Tara Reid, whose resume is less than impressive itself, Ryan proved he could be a comedy lead. He also had a handful of superhero roles which nearly got him blacklisted from superhero movies from that point on. It was his role as Deadpool in a leaked footage clip which led to Ryan Reynolds moving forward with a reboot.

While X-Men: Apocalypse appears to possibly be the last team film for Marvel Comics’ mutants, Deadpool may very well be the spin-off which saves Fox.

Are you excited to see Ryan Reynolds moving forward with the creative team who made the first Deadpool an unexpected success?

[Image via Deadpool / Fox Studios]