Well, here’s something we didn’t expect to have to write: “Deadpool 2” needs a director. After the smash success of “Deadpool” earlier this year, star Ryan Reynolds, screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and director Tim Miller, were all equally celebrated for delivering a unique, fan approved, box office hit, that proved the comic book movie genre still had plenty of creative directions it could go down. But it seems the team has fractured, as the director has shockingly left “Deadpool 2.”
Deadline reports that Miller has exited the sequel due to creative differences with Reynolds. The actor, who was a producer on the original and one of the most vocal voices out there pushing for “Deadpool” to get made in the first place, reportedly carries more weight in the decision making process this time around, leading to a clash with the director. According to The Wrap, one of the issues of contentions of contention was the casting of Cable. Miller wanted Kyle Chandler for the role, Reynolds didn’t, and the studio supported the actor.
One also has to wonder about the movie’s scale being a factor. The screenwriters and Miller have made it clear that they’d prefer to operate with same modest means they had on the first “Deadpool” when making the sequel, but perhaps Reynolds, who has negotiated for a sizeable payday for “Deadpool 2,” wants a movie with the size and ambition to equal his paycheck, and what will easily be the biggest project of his career.
It’ll be interesting to see how the narrative around this movie unfolds in the weeks and months ahead, but 20th Century Fox hasn’t lost faith in Miller. They are continuing to work with the director on the adaptation of the sci-fi novel “Influx.” Meanwhile, the split is said to be amicable between Miller and Reynolds. But the big question remains: who will replace Miller?
“Deadpool 2” opens on January 12, 2018.