While one of the biggest hits of 2016, Deadpool had a long and difficult journey into production. From the time Ryan Reynolds starred as the character (kind of) in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he had been trying to more faithfully adapt Deadpool into a blockbuster. And after many years and some leaked footage, it finally happened- shattering expectations and changing the way studios approach R-rated superhero flicks. Unfortunately, it seems Deadpool 2 is suffering from similar setbacks, as audiences were stunned when director Tim Miller departed the sequel. There were various rumors and reports as to why this change occurred, but now the man himself has finally broken his silence.
Tim Miller recently spoke to the folks at Collider about his leaving Deadpool 2, and he addressed the various rumors which had been circulating as to why he left. Regarding reports that he wanted to make the sequel a vastly different movie, he said the following:
I just want to say one thing to the geek audience out there, because it's important to me what the geeks and nerds of the world think because they are my brothers and sisters. I didn't want to make some stylized movie that was 3 times the budget. If you read the internet --- who cares, really? But for those of you who do, I wanted to make the same kind of movie that we made before because I think that's the right movie to make for the character. So don't believe what you read on the internet.
That's one rumor down. It looks like Tim Miller was happy with how Deadpool came out, and wanted to create a sequel that closely resembled its predecessor. Reports surfaced about a month ago that Miller wanted to use his skills with visual affects and artistry to make a more stylistic and unique sequel. But this appears now to be untrue.
Another major rumor circling Tim Miller's shocking departure from Deadpool 2 was regarding casting. Reports began to surface a few months ago which stated that Friday Night Lights actor Kyle Chandler was in the running for the role of Cable in the sequel. And after Miller departed, many believed that it was due to casting disagreements. The story was that Ryan Reynolds didn't agree with Chandler's casting, which was reportedly the final nail in the coffin. Lucky for us, Miller has addressed this rumor as well.
I wanted to do the same thing [as the first movie]. Kyle Chandler was not going to be Cable. All this stuff that I read kind of kills me.
Well, now it appears that we can officially check Kyle Chandler's name off of the list of potential Cable actors. That's probably for the best though, because I'm ready for that nifty actress Keira Knightley to take the role. She has range.
With these rumors now shut down, it's still a mystery as to the real reason why Tim Miller left Deadpool 2. Perhaps we'll never find out- and we'll just have to judge the split based on how good the sequel is.
