‘Deadpool’ Director Says He Quit Because Of Ryan Reynolds

Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds delivered a record-breaking superhero flick in 2016 with Deadpool, so it came as quite a shock when the director decided to back out of the film’s sequel two years later. Reynolds had already hinted that the two couldn’t work through their creative differences, and now Miller is speaking out on what went wrong for the pair and it looks like the movie’s star was the big problem.

Miller recently caught up with KCRW’s The Business and addressed why it was the right move for him to leave Deadpool 2.

“It became clear that Ryan wanted to be in control of the franchise. You can work that way as a director, quite successfully, but I can’t. I don’t mind having a debate, but if I can’t win, I don’t want to play. And I don’t think you can negotiate every creative decision, there’s too many to make. So Ryan’s the face of the franchise, and he was the most important component of that, by far. So if he decides he wants to control it, then he’s going to control it.”

Reynolds wanting to be in control of the Deadpool franchise is not much of a surprise, since the actor had admitted to wanting to make a Merc With a Mouth film for well over a decade. It was a true passion project for Reynolds, and it wasn’t going to be something he could be a backseat driver to.

The 43-year-old was a producer on the first Deadpool as well as it’s sequel while also getting a writer credit on Deadpool 2. David Leitch eventually came in to direct the sequel after making megahits like John Wick and Atomic Blonde while also going on to do Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Deadpool 3 has been confirmed but currently does not have a director attached. X-Force will hit theaters before the third Deadpool and will be directed by Drew Goddard. Goddard’s directing credits include The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale, and several episodes of NBC’s The Good Place.

The Disney and Fox merger could impact who is brought in for Deadpool 3, but it’s a certainty it won’t be Miller. The director also faced onset challenges in the recent Terminator: Dark Fate after he and producer James Cameron had some creative differences.

Reynolds currently has a ton of projects in the works including a reimagining of Clue and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, as well as Michael Bay action flick 6 Underground.