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David Leitch Nabs ‘Deadpool 2’ Director’s Chair – And ‘Deadpool 3’ On The Horizon?

Warm up the chimichangas and pour yourself a cold frosty beverage. Deadpool 2 has found its director.

David Leitch, who co-directed John Wick and serves in the same capacity for John Wick Chapter 2, has officially accepted the coveted director’s chair for Fox’s sequel per The Hollywood Reporter. Leitch was among filmmakers such as Rupert Sanders, Drew Goddard, and Magnus Martens to tackle the further adventures of Wade Wilson. Reportedly Leitch met with Ryan Reynolds in New York and received his offer within no time.

The news comes as a sigh of relief following Deadpool director Tim Miller’s exit from the high profile sequel citing “creative differences.” Later reports surfaced that Miller and Reynolds clashed over the tone of the sequel, as well as casting for the role of Cable. While Tim Miller was keen on signing Kyle Chandler, Reynolds had other actors in mind. (May I suggest Liam Neeson? Or Stephen Lang?) Miller also wanted Deadpool 2 to double its budget (the original was made for a measly $58 million) and become more of a serious tale. Reynolds, alongside writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, wanted to maintain the low budget whilst infusing the sequel with even more tongue-in-cheek gags and meta humor.

If I were a betting man, and I am, Fox realized what made the franchise debut such a moneymaker and sided with Reynolds, forever the Deadpool fanboy.

The Hollywood Reporter also reported previously that 20th Century Fox is readying a filmmaker search for Deadpool 3. Executives are seeking a storyline that will align the Merc with a Mouth with X-Force. Originally X-Force was being developed by Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) but, with Fox looking to reset their X-Men universe, perhaps introducing the team alongside an established franchise would serve as a great launching point. The report also goes on to mention that Gambit will still star with Channing Tatum, with production resuming following Tatum’s work on the latest Steven Soderbergh project Logan Lucky, and that New Mutants from director Josh Boone (The Fault In Our Stars) could begin filming as early as this spring.

Still – another reboot of the X-Men universe? If Simon Kinberg can map out a fresh path for the X-men, we’ll at least see more of Fassbender, Lawrence, and McAvoy and hopefully with better scripts than what X-Men: Apocalypse offered to audiences.

Shooting on Deadpool 2 is expected to begin around March 2017 and hit theaters on January 12, 2018.

 

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