Deadpool 2is currently in need of a director sinceTim Millerexited the project a few weeks ago. They don’t need a star though, becauseRyan Reynoldsis just as committed as ever in bringing Wade Wilson back to the big screen. But he did finally break his silence onTim Miller’s departure. While the actor does seem, at least on the surface, upset about the departure, he also seems to confirm that there was trouble in paradise long before the split.
GQrecently madeRyan Reynoldstheir 2016 Man of the Year and got him to talk about the process of making the firstDeadpool, a large part of what earned him that honor. But the publication also managed to get him to talk a bit about the split between himself and directorTim Millerover creative differences they had forDeadpool 2. Here is what he had to say.
“All I can really add is that I’m sad to see him off the film. Tim’s brilliant and nobody worked harder on Deadpool than he did.”
Ryan Reynoldshad been championingDeadpoolfor nearly a decade by the time the movie got the green light, butTim Millerhad been attached for a very long time as well. So when the parting of ways happened onDeadpool 2it was a bit surprising. There had been rumors that the two had some fights during the production of the first movie and some ofReynolds' other statements from the interview seem to confirm that was the case. That, coupled with the reported creative differences was seemingly too much to overcome. Here is what he had to add about the process of making the first movie.
“Making the movie was very, very difficult. It was the most passionate group of individuals I’ve ever worked with in my life. And for whatever reason, that mercurial crazy burgoo of people is what made this thing work so well, not just because I had this vision and I saw it this way and it had to be this way. It worked because we all had that feeling. But there were vaguely scary fights in the post-production process that escalated quickly. Luckily, everybody’s grown up and at the end of the day enjoys and loves each other.”
He didn’t name any names, but it seems very likely that those “scary fights” he is referring to were between him andTim Miller. Normally a star in a movie is beholden to what the director wants, butRyan Reynoldshad a lot of creative control as a producer onDeadpooland it seems like that may be even truer when it comes toDeadpool 2, since the first movie worked out so well for Fox. He elaborated a little bit on how he exercises his creative control and specifically talked about some ofTim Miller’s strengths, but alludes to what some of the problems may have been.
“I know when I need to exert control, and I know when I need to let go of it. I’m not gonna go and sit with Tim Miller and say, ‘The visual effects of Deadpool need to be done this way.’ The man is a visual-effects wizard. But there are character and tone things that I know really well. And I’ve also been with this thing the longest out of anybody, aside from the guys that wrote the comics. Eleven years I’ve been trying to get this Sisyphus rock up the hill, and it kept rolling back on top of me. So I’m gonna be all thefuck overit from the moment it starts to the moment it finishes.”
The issue withDeadpool 2was simply boiled down to “creative differences,” but there seemed to be a lot more to it than that. It was revealed after the initial report came out that those differences had a lot to do with thecastingof the mutant Cable. Reportedly,Tim Millerwanted to castKyle Chandler, butRyan Reynoldsand Fox weren’t on board with the idea. It was also reported that there were two very different versions of the movie on the table and ultimatelyTim Miller’s vision didn’t win out. It is perhaps ultimately a character and tone issue, asRyan Reynoldssort of alluded to in the above statement.
No matter what,Deadpool 2is happening and it will have to align withRyan Reynolds' vision. The firstDeadpoolis the highest-grossing movie in theX-Menfranchise to date, having brought in a tremendous $782 million worldwide, working from a comparatively small $58 million budget. Fox even reportedly is already working on plans for aDeadpool 3, which may include the mutant teamX-Force. At this point, the reported frontrunner to take over directing onDeadpool 2isJohn WickdirectorDavid Leitch, but that has yet to be confirmed. The studio has also yet to set a release date for the movie, but it is expected to arrive in early 2018.
