When news emerged over the weekend that Tim Miller exited “Deadpool 2,” the first theory behind his reason for leaving concerned creative choices over casting, with Ryan Reynolds turning down Kyle Chandler as Cable cited as one of the factors. But I speculated that maybe it was budget that caused friction, and this latest report suggests as much.
According to The Wrap, Miller was on one side, while Ryan Reynolds and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were on the other when it came to how much money should be spent on the sequel. The star and writers wanted to stick with something similar to the $58 million spent on “Deadpool,” which allowed them to go R-rated and make the kind of zany superhero movie that became a massive hit. Miller apparently wanted to spend over $150 million for a more “stylish” movie. However, don’t take this as gospel.
Miller himself said he was cautious about getting more money to make a followup, saying in February that “…we’d love to have more money for visual effects. But I don’t think anybody does good with an excess of time or money.” That Miller would suddenly be asking three times the budget of the original seems slightly dubious. Meanwhile, Steven Weintraub at Collider also strongly disputes that the split had anything to do with budget.
I'm not going to say much about the Deadpool 2 drama but Miller did not want a sequel that would cost 3 times as much. That's bullshit.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) October 25, 2016
For now, the search is on for a new director. Any suggestions? Let us know. And while fans are petitioning for Quentin Tarantino, sorry kids, that’s a pipe dream that will never come true.