If 20th Century Fox’s lucrative X-Men franchise was in a state of flux in the aftermath of Apocalypse, Tim Miller’s abrupt departure from Deadpool 2 effectively pumped the brakes on a sequel that was considered by many to be one of the most bankable projects on the studio’s slate.
Three weeks on from Miller’s exit and the search for a replacement continues, with John Wick co-director David Leitch reportedly high on Fox’s shortlist. While we still don’t have confirmation from the studio on who they’ll be bringing in to helm, we do at least have a little more insight into the changeover thanks to GQ, who sat down with the Merc With a Mouth himself, Ryan Reynolds, to discuss all things Deadpool.
It didn’t take long for Tim Miller to come up in conversation, to which Reynolds replied: “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.” It’s a diplomatic answer from the lead star,who, along with Miller, had been one of the early flag-bearers for the R-rated shenanigans from day one. Getting Deadpool off the tiles and onto the big screen required perseverance, then, and lots of it.
Further in the piece, Ryan Reynolds reflected on that at times trying creative process.
“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.”
Don’t be fooled into thinking that Reynolds has suddenly lost his deep and abiding love for Wade Wilson, though. In no uncertain terms, the actor essentially stated that he’ll see out the mercenary’s adventures until the end.
“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 the fuck over it from the moment it starts to the moment it finishes.”
Still nothing to report on the Deadpool 2 release date front, and until such a time when Fox has recruited a director, expect that radio silence to remain intact. Then again, the studio is reportedly drafting up plans for a Deadpool 3 that would mark the introduction of the X-Force, so perhaps we’ll hear something sooner rather than later.
