X-Men movie fans have been sitting on the edge of their collective seat, wondering how the current iteration of the franchise that was started under 20th Century Fox will be affected by the Disney/Fox deal. One of the biggest questions has been whether the popular Deadpool movie franchise would get a third chapter.

Ever since Deadpool 2 hit theaters last summer, there's been an on again, off again oscillation in the Deadpool 3 news. Well, thanks to a new interview with franchise star Ryan Reynolds, it seems as though Deadpool 3 may already be in the works!

Here's what a recent report from Variety, based on a PR event with Reynolds, who is promoting the release of the PG-13 cut Once Upon A Deadpool over in China right now, revealed:

"His team was already at work on 'Deadpool 3,' [Reynolds] added... He did say, however, that in the third installment, they were 'looking to go in a completely different direction,' saying that 'often, they reboot or change a character maybe like four movies too late.'"

That little mention of working beginning on Deadpool 3 does sync with some of the rumors we've heard over the last half year or so. Reynolds has been steadily knocking down expectations for a third Deadpool solo movie, pointing out that a third installment would more than likely be a full-on X-Force movie, with a full ensemble dynamic rather than Deadpool still being the focus:

“I feel like the character, in order for him to function properly within his own universe, you need to take everything away from him. I don’t think that you can keep doing that. I do see him as being a part of X-Force, obviously. I would love to see him in a team-up sort of thing, like a mano-a-mano or a great female character from the X-Men universe. I just think if you’re going to do another Deadpool solo film, you’ve got to really, like, get that budget down to nothing and just swing for the fences, and break all kinds of weird barriers, and do stuff that no one else can do.”

Deadpool writers Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick have also hinted that the next project from the Fox X-Men movies franchise would indeed by an X-Force movie, rather than a straight-up Deadpool film:

"According to the chronology that we've established, X-Force will be next, before Deadpool," Reese told Screen Rant. "It's a bit of the 'Iron Man 1, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3' model, in that sense. X-Force isn't being written by us. It's being written and directed by Drew Goddard, or at least that's the plan right now. We're not involved with that one. We do anticipate there will be a Deadpool 3 at some point, but it's just a little premature, because it will definitely take a backseat to X-Force for the time being."

After Deadpool 2, seeing characters like Josh Brolin's Cable and Zazie Beets Domino getting larger roles in X-Force would definitely be something a lot of fans want. It would also be the sort of culmination of concept that fans are looking for, before Disney comes in and starts an entirely new X-Men Universe. If Dark Phoenix and X-Force have to be the end, it would be the sort of end fans could live with.

Deadpool 2 and Once Upon A Deadpool are both now available on home video. Dark Phoenix hits theaters on June 7th. It will be followed by New Mutants on August 2nd.