20th Century Fox has set Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to pen the screenplay for its X-Men spinoff, Deadpool.

According to Variety, Ryan Reynolds will reprise his role as the wisecracking mercenary he portrayed in last year's X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

There is no timetable on the Marvel property, though Reynolds has a window after wrapping the Green Lantern this summer.

Reynolds has been bulking up to play the DC Comics' hero Green Lantern, which starts production next month. This means he would already be in superhero shape if the script for Deadpool is ready by summer.

Reese and Wernick, who wrote Zombieland, will stay true to the mythology of Deadpool given that Reynolds is a huge fan and protector of the property.

The tone of Deadpool, which features an antihero as opposed to the more traditional heroic comicbook protagonist, is very similar in tone to Zombieland.