After Deadpool 2 Director Drops Out, New Frontrunner Emerges

Last week, Deadpool director Tim Miller dropped out of the sequel due to "creative differences" with star Ryan Reynolds. Now, Mashable is reporting that John Wick director David Leitch is the "strong frontrunner" to take over, attributing that information to "several" sources familiar with the project.

However, the site also explains that "several other directors" are being considered as well, though these were not named. It's also claimed that Reynolds' talent agency, WME, is asking both Reynolds and production company Fox to hire another WME client, which Leitch is.

Leitch has worked with Reynolds and Fox in the past, as he was the action coordinator for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the movie in which Reynolds played Wade Wilson/Deadpool for the first time.

According to Mashable, after the huge success of Deadpool, Reynolds was not only given a bigger payday but also more creative control for the sequel. This contributed to clashes with Miller over things like casting, according to report.

Released in February, the R-rated Deadpool was a smash hit. It made $782 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $58 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

In June 2016, Deadpool 2's script was nearing completion from writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who are returning from the first film. The movie was at one time expected to start shooting in early 2017, though it remains to be seen if that's still the case now that Miller has reportedly dropped out.

"We don't want $150 million to go make the next movie; that's not Deadpool," Wernick said earlier this year. "Deadpool doesn't lift cities up into the air or battle aliens coming down to earth; that's just not Deadpool. So we're happy in that little small budget range that they have us in; we don't wanna blow this next one out."

Recently, a report listed off the actresses who are apparently in the running to play Domino in the film. For more on Deadpool 2, check out GameSpot's feature, "7 Things We Want to See in the Deadpool Sequel."