We reported back in June that Robert Rodriguez's name had been tossed in the murky mess that is the Deadpool movie, but even then it was just a rumor, and we never heard anything more concrete than that he had been sent Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick's script. Now, according to The LA Times, things have moved a few steps forward, and Rodriguez is in negotiations with Fox for the directing job.

There's no deal in place, and first Rodriguez has to get Machete out in theaters next month and then direct Spy Kids 4, but his gifts with both action and the comedy required of "the merc with a mouth" would probably suit the property well, especially if the script from the Zombieland writers is as funny as we're hoping it will be. Back in June Eric assumed that Rodriguez wouldn't shy away from Deadpool's more violent instincts, and based on what he saw in the Machete footage at Comic Con, those instincts seem to be right on. Rodriguez is far from guaranteed as the Deadpool director, but fans shaken by the character's lame treatment in X-Men Origins: Wolverine may be a little closer to getting the Deadpool they deserve.