Exclusive: Director David Leitch talks his approach to irreverent Deadpool 2

January 31st 2017, 2:27am

Anyone excited for the DEADPOOL sequel? Well, judging by the film's explosive debut last year, I'd say at least a few of you are (and you can count me among those ranks) and with good reason. After director Tim Miller stepped down from the project, Fox nabbed JOHN WICK director David Leitch to take over the reins for the Merc-With-A-Mouth's sequel and our own JimmyO caught up with him at the premiere of JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO to talk about it. Leitch is serving as producer for JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO (his co-director, Chad Stahelski, taking full directing credit on the sequel) and sounds primed to take on DEADPOOL 2, sharing his desire to do comedy, the fun of playing with an irreverent character, how he plans to approach the stunts and action, working with Ryan Reynolds, and more!

Leitch on working with the creative team behind DEADPOOL:

"I think it’s going to be fun. I mean, I’ve always wanted to do comedy. And working with that creative team with Simon and Ryan and Rhett and Paul, they have it all on lockdown and they are great. They are amazing. It’s a big studio, juggernaut of a movie, and it’s a big franchise and they are huge shoes to fill but we are already down the road making some really cool choices and it’s going to be a blast. Working with those guys… we’ll hit it out of the park."

Leitch on how they'll retain the comedic, self-referential nature of DEADPOOL:

"Yeah, there is this fun irreverent nature to Deadpool which is why I fell in love with it. Which is why I’m honored to be a part of the franchise. I think you want to keep the DNA of that. It’s going to be fun to spin out the world a little bit and expand it. You just have to on a sequel. And you’ll see that obviously in JOHN WICK CHAPTER TWO. But we want to stay true to that, the little superhero movie that could. It is the fun irreverent movie."

Leitch on if they're going to go crazy with the stunts:

"Yeah, I think I can’t not. I mean, it’s in our DNA to take the stunts in an organic way as well and take it more in a practical way. Maybe go bigger. But it’s not about bigger, Deadpool is always about playing against the expectations of superhero movies and I think that is why it was so successful. Or one of the reasons it was so successful because it plays against those expectations. And we need to make sure that the action is really furthering the characters and moving the story along. And we are having fun with the action. It’s not action for spectacle, it’s action for Deadpool’s character. And giving him a platform for another physical device for comedy and character as well."

Leitch on working with Ryan Reynolds:

"Well it’s great because he knows the character inside and out and I think as a director, I’m a collaborator. I always have been. On THE COLDEST CITY, I just got finished collaborating with Charlize, and I think she’d tell you the same thing. You have to leave a lot of up to the actor to really come to you with like what is this character about and who are they going to be. Then you share that and you move it forward. He understands Deadpool inside and out. I mean, he is Deadpool. You have to embrace it and go with it and give him some guidance on the macro, but in terms of the character, it’s amazing how locked in he is.

I’m excited to play. Like I said, I’m interested in doing sort of the irreverent comedy that DEADPOOL offers, and maybe have a few more resources. But it’s the most fun sandbox in the world. The DEADPOOL universe is amazing."

As soon as Tim Miller left the sequel, I immediately felt that the JOHN WICK team should take over and Leitch's answers here only serve to solidify that feeling. I think we're in damn good hands. With Stahelski taking on the HIGHLANDER reboot (which I'm less excited for save for his involvement), I think both filmmakers have a unique opportunity to expand their brand that started with JOHN WICK (and hopefully JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO).

Look for the full video interviews from the "black carpet" soon, including Leitch, Keanu Reeves, Common, and more. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO opens on February 10th. Leitch's THE COLDEST CITY with Charlize Theron opens on August 11th, 2017, and DEADPOOL 2 (or whatever they end up calling it) breaks the fourth wall in 2018.