This year's Deadpool was a huge success, breaking all kinds of box office records. So it seemed like a sure thing that director Tim Miller, star Ryan Reynolds, and the rest of the crew would reunite for a sequel. However, that surefire plan hit a snag late Friday when Miller exited the project, reportedly over conflicts with Reynolds.
Deadline and Variety are both saying that Miller had not yet officially signed on to direct the sequel, but was widely expected to do so. However, due to what Variety is delicately calling "a series of creative differences" with his star, Miller left. Deadpool screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, however, are reportedly still on board.
Deadpool 2 was officially announced back in April. Reynolds, in addition to starring, is also a producer.
Miller will have a relatively easy landing. Deadline reports that he is moving on to another big movie, an adaptation of the popular David Suarez science-fiction novel Influx. That film is the first of a potential trilogy.
The director had grand visions for Deadpool 2 (including the introduction of fan favorite Cable), and fans of the Merc With a Mouth are surely hoping that whoever takes over his job keeps the hero's Hard-R-Rating edge—and hopefully fights a little less with the film's star. That way, everyone can share in the boatloads of money the film will surely make, if it's anywhere near its 3/4-of-a-billion-dollar-grossing predecessor.
