After a week of appropriate panicking, DEADPOOL fans can rest a little easier because 20th Century Fox is on it, and trying hard to find a suitable replacement for director Tim Miller. Although it’s been a very short time indeed, it seems they already have a frontrunner to take over the job.
According to Mashable JOHN WICK co-director David Leitch is the frontrunner to take on the job of directing the Merc with a Mouth in the highly-anticipated sequel. The site reports that although other names are still up for consideration, Leitch is at the top of that list. Let the confetti fall, and get the prop guns loaded, because it’s about to go off.
This is just talk at the moment, but it makes sense to think Leitch is in the lead for the gig. He and director Chad Stahelski brought Fox a potential goldmine with JOHN WICK in 2014, and though he didn’t return to direct the sequel he took that time to do some solo directing of his own with THE COLDEST CITY with Charlize Theron, James McAvoy and Sofia Boutella, which is in post-production. Plus, as he proved with WICK alone, the man has a knack for off-the-wall action and complex world building, which is exactly what DEADPOOL is aiming for.
Obviously I, like any WICK fan, would be ecstatic to see Leitch take on the job. He seems a perfect choice to replace Miller as someone who can mix his own style with something like DEADPOOL and make it still feel fresh. However, like the report noted, there are other names in consideration, but looking at the snafu Fox experienced that got them to into this position to begin with, I can imagine they’d want to work with someone they already had dealings with. Let’s just hope they make the smart move here. For the love of God, the man brought us JOHN WICK!
Depending on if the film gets a director soon, DEADPOOL 2 is set to begin filming early 2017 with a January 2018 release in its sights.