While it was disappointing for many when Deadpool director Tim Miller departed from the sequel, the subsequent hiring of David Leitch as his replacement assuaged the fears of many, especially with the director's penchant for high-octane action in films such as John Wick, John Wick 2 and the upcoming Atomic Blonde.
In an interview with Empire, Leitch said that Deadpool 2 will contain more action than its predecessor, and that he hoped to execute it in a manner befitting of the action design production company he operates with his John Wick co-director Chad Stahelski. “There's more action in this film. I hope we can expand it and make it interesting in an 87Eleven kinda way,” Leitch said.
Leitch did clarify, however, that he wants the tone of the first film to carry over to the sequel. “The completely irreverent tone was the thing that won me over about the first Deadpool movie,” he enthuses. “I want to deliver on what they did and at the same time hopefully expand the universe.”
While it's comforting to know that Leitch wants to preserve what worked about the first film, there's still a long way to go before we see anything from it; the studio is still in the process of casting Cable, (who is set to play a major role) with Michael Shannon as the rumored frontrunner for the part.
Deadpool 2 is scheduled for release in 2018.