UPDATE 2: We’ve reached out to Simon Kinberg, one of the film’s producers, regarding this latest rumor, but he had no comment on the matter.

UPDATE 1: According to TheWrap, Ryan Reynolds and Tim Miller have had a contentious relationship since the release of the original Deadpool earlier this year. Apparently two wanted to go in completely separate directions with the sequel. Reynolds wanted to capitalize more on the raunchy humor the original film was so well known for, while Miller wanted to go into a more stylized sequel — whatever that means. Things came to a head when Miller wanted Kyle Chandler to take on the role of Cable. This caused real conflict since renegotiations for the sequel left Reynolds with casting approval, along with other creative control, and he disagrees with Miller’s choice. Fox then chose to side with Reynolds.

Additionally, the outlet claimed there was no date set for the sequel, which conflicts with reports of a January 12, 2018 release. 

We’ll wait and see how this whole thing shakes out.

ORIGINAL STORY:

It was only yesterday that we were singing the praises of the original Deadpool film, which hit theaters earlier this year. Not only did the film have a massively successful and innovative marketing campaign that consisted of viral videos, images, and appearances from its star, Ryan Reynolds, but it also had the added benefit of actually being a solid flick. Had the movie itself not lived up to the hype made from all the marketing, it could have easily been a bust at the box office. However, thanks to the combined efforts of its star and producer Ryan Reynolds, the writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and its director Tim Miller (not to mention the countless hard workers that made up the crew), Fox managed to deliver a bona fide hit.

READ: RYAN REYNOLDS REFLECTS ON THE STELLAR DEADPOOL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

With all this success behind them, and the dream team working together to develop the sequel, it seemed that brighter days were ahead for them in Deadpool 2. Well, it looks like the movie has hit its first big speed bump.

According to a new report from Deadline, Tim Miller has stepped away from the director’s chair for Deadpool 2. It’s important to note that Miller had never officially signed on to direct the film. That being said, he had been working to develop the sequel, and when all said and done, it was pretty much assumed he’d pick up where he’d left off.

The outlet states that Miller left after a “series of creative differences” between him and Reynolds. From the sound of it, there was no real bad blood between them or between Miller and the studio, and that the parting was mutual (isn’t it always?). Miller is still on track to put out another movie entitled Influx for Fox, so from the sound of it, this seems like a genuinely amicable separation.

All the same, this will undoubtedly come as bad news to fans of the first one. While Reynolds had definitely done his part to spearhead the ambitious Deadpool, Tim Miller was right alongside him since 2011, and it was Miller’s stylized and visual effects-influenced vision that gave Deadpool a whole lot of personality to begin with. Luckily for us, Reynolds and the other two writers are still on board, so let’s just hope the direction the film goes in is all for the best.

My biggest concern is that the difference of opinion lies in the budget. Tim Miller has been pretty vocal about stating that the budget for the sequel doesn’t necessarily have to be higher.

Speaking with Comicbook.com several months back, he stated:

“I don’t think bigger is better. You tell a story that’s organic to the character. Deadpool’s world doesn’t mean you have to go bigger. I don’t think the fans of the movie like it because we had big effects.”

I have to wonder if Reynolds and the studio wanted to expand things than Miller wanted, and thus parted ways. But I suppose we’ll have to wait until we get a final budget for the film before we can tell if that’s really the case.

What do you think of all this? Are you concerned that Miller isn’t coming back for the sequel, or does it make sense that they’d go off in different directions? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Deadpool 2 hits theaters on January 12, 2018.

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SOURCES: Deadline, Comicbook.com