We've known for a couple of months that Ed Skrein is part of the finally-happening Deadpool film, starring alongside Ryan Reynolds, Gina Carano and TJ Miller. We didn't, however, know who he'd be playing. That's now all changed with the news that he'll be climbing into the armour of the villainous Ajax.
[#deadpool](https://twitter.com/hashtag/deadpool?src=hash) [#ajax](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ajax?src=hash) [pic.twitter.com/wfyRU9i9fV](http://t.co/wfyRU9i9fV) > > — Ed Skrein (@edskrein) [April 7, 2015](https://twitter.com/edskrein/status/585490030870851586)
In the comics, Ajax's real name is Francis, and he works as muscle for Weapon-X mad scientist Dr. Killebrew. He's been given super-speed and agility, and had his nerves removed for "better pain management". Wade Wilson killed him at one point, but he came back, understandably annoyed, and started hunting all the surviving Weapon-X test subjects. Deadpool, in turn, felt honour-bound to finish the job he started and kill him properly. They've been on the wrong side of each other ever since.
In the film, we're told that Deadpool "hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life". So that would appear to be that part of the puzzle in place.
Effects man/second unit director-turned-big-chair-occupier Tim Miller is calling the shots for this one, working from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Production is now underway in Vancouver, and Deadpool will wisecrack his way into cinemas on February 12 next year.
We'll next see Skrein in Sword Of Vengeance, out in the UK on May 29, and in The Transporter Refueled, where he takes over from Jason Statham as the unusually decent Audi driver. That one doesn't have a UK release date yet but arrives in the US in September.