After years of rumors and speculation, Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Comics have finally announced that a Deadpool movie is in the works. While the studio has not confirmed whether Ryan Reynolds will return to play the fan-favorite mercenary that he first portrayed in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, they officially revealed the upcoming film will have a Feb. 12, 2016 release date.

Wade Wilson, known to comic book enthusiasts as Deadpool or “the Merc with a Mouth,” first made his cinematic appearance in the 2009 spinoff. While critics and fans alike gave X-Men Origins poor reviews, Ryan Reynolds was praised for his portrayal of the wise-cracking antihero and remained a fan-favorite option to portray Deadpool in a potential standalone film. Test footage filmed several years ago with Reynolds supplying the voice of the masked mercenary leaked briefly online last month, and the social media reaction was incredibly positive. While the studio acted quickly to remove the video from the internet, Reynolds says the leak may have helped the studio realize that there is definitely a demand for the film.

“The movie has been in a state of limbo for a while. There was such an overpowering reaction to the footage, you sort of feel like, ‘Oh, so we weren’t crazy for our reasons for loving this character, for loving this role.’ It’s interesting to see the power of the Internet. It’s awe-inspiring, actually,” the actor told the Niagara Falls Review. “And it’s neat that Twitter and Facebook and Instagram can move mountains when used in the right way.”

Tim Miller, the lead visual effects artist behind the cult-favorite superhero film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, is set to direct the upcoming film.