Thanks in no small part to one of the best marketing campaigns in recent memory, Deadpool - which finally opens in UK cinemas today - has become one of 2016's most talked about films, and it looks like the hype hasn't gone unnoticed by the decision makers at 20th Century Fox.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has already green-lit Deadpool 2, with Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick already working on a screenplay for the sequel. It's almost a certainty that franchise star, Ryan Reynolds, will return, and while director Tim Miller is yet to sign on, reports suggest that Fox is "intent on keeping the creative team together".

The fact that this news has been announced before the opening weekend numbers have come in demonstrates the confidence Fox now have in the franchise, which is ironic considering how hard Reynolds and co had to fight to get Deadpool made. Thankfully their determination has paid off, and we can look forward to more R-rated Deadpool fun (and more awesome marketing) for years to come.

With the first movie tackling the merc with a mouth's origins story, what could the sequel be about? Well, no-one knows, but Reynolds has been talking recently about Cable making an appearance, plus a possible X-Force movie, either of which would make for a great sequel story.

Directed by Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller and Gina Carano, Deadpool is playing in UK cinemas now and opens in US theatres on February 12, 2016.

Images: 20th Century Fox