Ryan Reynolds and Black Eyed Peas musician will.i.am have signed on to be part of the cast of Twentieth Century Fox’s much-anticipated “Wolverine,” along with Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston and Lynn Collins, Variety announces.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is well along on its way to fruition, with additional cast members announced this week. Ryan Reynolds is set to play Deadpool, trade paper Variety informs, while “Friday Night Lights” regular Taylor Kitsch will portray Gambit. Hip-hop artist will.i.am is joining the cast as John Wraith.

Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as wolfish mutant Wolverine; Liev Schreiber will portray Victor Creed/Sabretooth, Danny Huston will appear as Col. William Stryker and Lynn Collins rounds out the cast as and Kayla Silver Fox.

Gavin Hood is directing the movie and a May 1, 2009 release date has already been set. Filming locations include New Zealand, Australia and New Orleans. The script has been penned by David Benioff and is reported to present the origins of the Wolverine character. Mutants not yet seen in the “X-Men” franchise will be introduced in this spin-off.

Variety adds that Marvel, the film’s exec producer, is toying with the idea of expanding Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character, an assassin with self-healing powers, into his own film series. This would depend on whether audiences react positively to the character.

Gambit has also been of interest for Fox and Marvel, who wished to introduce him in the franchise but could never find the right moment, per Variety, as there were already numerous mutants in each film.

Will.i.am makes his acting debut with the role of Wraith, a mutant able to teleport itself.

Gavin Hood won the foreign language Academy Award in 2005 for directing “Tsotsi.” The South African filmmaker also directed “Rendition,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard, released last fall.

Producing “Wolverine” are Lauren Shuler-Donner and Ralph Winter, producers of the “X-Men,” as well as Hugh Jackman himself and his production company Seed Productions partner John Palermo.