Here’s a quick roundup of the latest geek film news.

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, co-screenwriter Paul Wernick, and Rhett Reese revealed a surprising connection between Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy during a screening and Q&A at Fox Studios in Los Angeles according to Playlist. After questions regarding how the relatively meager $58 million budget of the movie influenced the script, discussion turned to the two X-Men who made an appearance in Deadpool: Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. The latter was picked simply because of her cool name, but the filmmakers wanted to change the character for Deadpool.

To get Marvel’s permission to make the changes, which included giving Negasonic Teenage Warhead energy-based powers instead of the psychic powers she has in the comics, Fox had to do some horse trading with Marvel. Fox got their changes, and James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 now has Ego the Living Planet.

Ego first appeared in Thor #132 and had recurring appearances in Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer, but Marvel didn’t have access to the character for its movie universe, most likely due to the character’s appearance in the latter properties, the movie rights for which belong to Fox. Ego, who is Star-Lord’s father in the Guardians sequel, will be played by Kurt Russell (see “'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Starts Shooting”).

Jessica Chastain has been cast as the lead in Lotus Entertainment and Solipsist Films’ Painkiller Jane reports Deadline. Chastain is also set to produce the movie, which is based on Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada’s comic series about a New York police officer who develops regenerative abilities that render her virtually indestructible. Palmiotti completed a screenplay based on the character a couple of years ago, but Deadline did not indicate whether the filmmakers intended to use it (see “Marvel Gets 'Painkiller Jane'”). Palmiotti is an executive producer for the film.

A film version of Sesame Street is back in production, moving from 20th Century Fox to Warner Brothers with director and producer Shawn Levy at the helm, according to Screenrant. The popularity of Levy’s recent projects likely contributed to the resurrection of the film version of everyone’s favorite educational kids show. Levy was a producer on the acclaimed sci-fi think piece Arrival and a director on the enormously popular Stranger Things series from Netflix.

John Boyega confirmed the long-rumored title of the sequel to Pacific Rim with an Instagram picture: Pacific Rim: Maelstrom. Boyega is set to star as the son of Stacker Pentecost, who was portrayed by Idris Elba in the first film (see “Best In Shows--Q1 2018”). Filming on the sequel, which is directed by Steven S. DeKnight, has begun in Australia.