20th Century Fox Reportedly Eyeing JOHN WICK Co-Director David Leitch For DEADPOOL 2
Well, that was quick. Less than a week after Deadpool 2 lost Tim Miller, it sounds like they may have already found his replacement in John Wick's David Leitch. UPDATE 2!
Deadpool 2 may have lost Tim Miller about a week ago, but according to a new report from Mashable, 20th Century Fox may already be closing in on John Wick co-director David Leitch to helm the hotly anticipated sequel, which will once again star Ryan Reynolds in the title role.
Details on Miller's departure remain murky, but it's rumored that Reynolds & Miller clashed over the budget as well as casting decisions, amongst other things. The film doesn't have a start date just yet, but did recently start testing female leads for Domino.
Leitch is best known for his storied work as a stunt coordinator and performer, where he coincidentally has a long history with Fox, having worked on stunts for several of their high-concept action films, including Blade, Fight Club, Daredevil, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine - a project he also worked on with Reynolds. His stunt resume also includes work on The Matrix Revolutions, Van Helsing, and The Bourne Ultimatum. Leitch recently made the shift up to second unit director and has already worked on major blockbusers like The Wolverine, Jurassic World, and Captain America: Civil War.
As a director, Leitch co-directed the critically acclaimed John Wick with Chad Stahelski and also recently completed the Charlize Theron spy thriller The Coldest City, which is due out summer 2017. His upcoming projects include the Chris Pratt-starrer Cowboy Ninja Viking and Sony's film adaptation of Bloodshot, although the report notes that both of those projects are still a ways away.
UPDATE: Variety has seemingly confirmed the report, David Leitch will indeed helm Deadpool 2. They also add that he was initially being looked at for their upcoming X-Force adaptation, but have now decided to go with him for the Ryan Reynolds-led sequel. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the day.
UPDATE 2: The Hollywood Reporter has learned that there hasn't been a deal made just yet and that Leitch is only the frontrunner at the moment and is the only one that has met with Reynolds. The studio is now expected to meet with Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and Magnus Martens (Luke Cage) fairly soon.
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!