Two weeks ago, pre-production on Deadpool 2 appeared to be trucking along quite nicely – Don’t Breathe actor Stephen Lang continues to be in the mix for the role of Cable, while we also caught wind of a potential shortlist for Domino that indicated Lizzy Caplan, 10 Cloverfield Lane‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead and many more were testing for Fox’s anti-hero sequel.
All that progress came grinding to halt, however, after news broke that director Tim Miller would not be returning at the helm as previously thought. Creative differences were said to be the main reason, as is so often the case, though later reports suggest that Miller took issue with the production budget ($150 million) allotted to Deadpool 2. Speculation continues to rage, but according to Mashable, both 20th Century Fox and Ryan Reynolds may have already zeroed in on a replacement: John Wick co-director David Leitch.
It should be noted that Leitch is considered a “strong frontrunner” at the moment, indicating that this is far from a done deal. Could he be the “overpaid tool” Deadpool 2 so desperately needs? Time will tell. Last year, Leitch and co-director Chad Stahelski introduced the moviegoing masses to Keanu Reeves’ slick contract killer, though we know that Stahelski will assume full directing duties for 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2 after David Leitch committed to an adaptation of Antony Johnston’s graphic novel The Coldest City. Starring Charlize Theron, it’ll open on August 11, 2017.
Meanwhile, Deadpool 2 is still searching for a release date – and director! – but we’ll let you know if and when that situation changes. For now, tell us, what do you make of this latest development?
