With Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine swansong, Logan, currently wowing audiences (you can find our review here), Simon Kinberg has moved to discuss one of the long-gestating mutant-driven movies that’s on the horizon: X-Force.

The X-Force picture has been in some form of development for what seems like an age now – in reality, it’s a couple of years, tops – and given the success of Logan and previously Deadpool, Kinberg, a writer and producer on the X-Men movies as far back as X-Men: The Last Stand, has suggested that this upcoming feature is likely to follow suit and go for an R rating.

Speaking to Deadline about X-Force, Kinberg said, “It’s a combination of Deadpool and Cable. They’re like the Black Ops of the X-Men. They’re much darker and have an R-rated decibel. There are other X-Men characters coming into X-Force at different times in the comic, but it’s separate from X-Men.”

Making sure to explain that not every new X-Men movie needs to be aiming for an R rating, Kinberg added, “Should a story be readily told in a PG-13 fashion, it should be for creative, not business reasons. The success of Deadpool and Logan have bolstered our confidence to make edgy, more daring, provocative bold movies that audiences will embrace. More than that, we feel a responsibility to make bold and provocative movies.”

The last we’ve heard on the matter, X-Force will essentially be Deadpool 3. Whilst next year’s Deadpool 2 will introduce the Cable and Domino characters who are usually mainstays of the X-Force team, Deadpool 3 is reportedly being eyed as the perfect vehicle to bring a full incarnation of the X-Force group together.

As well as two further outings for Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth on the horizon, 20th Century Fox is looking to start shooting their next main X-Men movie – tentatively titled X-Men: Supernova and set in the ‘90s while pulling from the famed Dark Phoenix Saga – later this year, with New Mutants confirmed to be happening at some point in the next couple of years, and still hope for the Channing Tatum-starring Gambit to finally happen after all of the issues that has had over the last few years.

While Hugh Jackman may have hung up his claws for good, there’s seemingly still plenty of life left in the X-Men franchise yet.