Is Deadpool about to introduce The New Mutants on the big screen for the first time? Earlier today we showed you three new photos from Deadpool. These came courtesy of Empire Magazine. There latest issue, which is available December 31, is completely devoted to the Merc with the Mouth. And buried in these pages is the fact that yes, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, played by Brianna Hildebrand, is indeed wearing a New Mutants uniform, not an X-Men uniform.

So what does this mean for the movie? Will we meet other New Mutants we don't know about? Will there be some explanation as to who The New Mutants are and what they are doing in this universe? Or will Negasonic Teenage Warhead show up in the movie, wearing this costume, no questions asked? We're not sure yet.

What we do know is that X-Men: Apocalypse will not only bring the trilogy that started with X-Men: First Class and continued on in X-Men: Days of Future Past to a close, it will be the climax to Bryan Singer's entire franchise. We also know that 20th Century Fox plans on releasing both The New Mutants and X-Force in the next few years, insuring that their version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to hum along. It makes sense that Deadpool would begin this new world building by introducing a member of The New Mutants. And it's a well known fact that Deadpool is a future member of X-Force.

Does this mean Brianna Hildebrand will lead The New Mutants cast? Fox probably isn't even sure about that right now, but if she proves to be a fan-favorite, we'd bet this is how things play out. We haven't heard anything about The New Mutants since May, but this summer, it was announced that filmmaker Josh Boone, best known for The Fault in Our Stars, is co-writing and directing the Marvel adventure.

Knate Gwaltney (Kidnap) is co-writing the screenplay, with Simon Kinberg set to producing alongside Lauren Shuler Donner. Simon Kinberg confirmed the news himself. This is what he had to say seven months ago.

"We're so excited to explore this new part of the X-Men universe, and so excited to do it with Josh, who is uniquely suited to tell this story about young characters."

This superhero action thriller will introduce a new crop of mutants, although it isn't exactly clear which ones will be used in this adaptation. First introduced in a 1982 Marvel graphic novel, The New Mutants received their own monthly comic book in 1983, with the team comprised of much younger mutants who all attended Professor Xavier's school. The original lineup consisted of Cannonball, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Karma and Dani Moonstar, along with Professor X, but the team had an always-evolving roster that included other characters such as Warlock, Mirage, Karma, Magma and Cypher, so it's anybody's guess who this adaptation could include. Negasonic Teenage Warhead was never part of The New Mutants in the comic books, but her young age certainly fits in with the storyline being set up.

At the time Josh Boone was first announced as the direct of The New Mutants, the movie was said to be a long ways off. Josh Boone will next make The Vampire Chronicles for Universal Pictures, a reboot of Interview with the Vampire, and then he is moving on to The Stand, so it will likely be a few years before The New Mutants starts production. While we wait to learn more about The New Mutants, you can take a look at the photos which show off Warhead's uniform.