The movie world is still in shock at the revelation that Tim Miller will no longer be directing Deadpool 2. But, as the old adage goes, the show must go on, which is why various filmmakers are already being linked with the coveted position. It had previously been speculated that John Wick's David Leitch was in pole position for the job, but now two further names have been added to the short-list in the shape of Drew Goddard and Magnus Martens.
Deadline were quick to insist that while David Leitch is still the favorite for the Deadpool 2 directing gig, 20th Century Fox also wanted to meet with a few more filmmakers to hear what their visions for the blockbuster would be. First on this list was Drew Goddard, who earlier this year was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenwriting efforts on The Martian, an accolade that ultimately went to Adam McKay and Charles Randolph for The Big Short.
Drew Goddard's work as a screenwriter has been hugely impressive, as he's scribed on the small-screen for the likes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, Lost, and, most recently Daredevil, which he created. He also has some inpressive film credits, like Cloverfield, The Cabin In The Woods, and World War Z, plus The Martian.
Goddard has been looking to move into feature film directing for quite a while now, having helped to executive produce 10 Cloverfield Lane, as well as directing the pilot of The Good Place for NBC, too. In fact he was originally supposed to oversee the Amazing Spider-Man spin-off Sinister Six for Sony, only for Marvel to come in, reboot Peter Parker and add him to their universe.
Meanwhile, Magnus Martens has been earning rave reviews for his work on Luke Cage for Marvel over on Netflix, which earned him the right to pitch his vision for Deadpool 2. The Norwegian director has overseen episodes for the likes of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Power, 12 Monkeys and Banshee, too, while his 2014 Norwegian action film, Jackpot, is currently being remade with Will Gluck directing and Mila Kunis starring.
For the time being at least, though, David Leitch remains the front-runner to replace Tim Miller in the Deadpool 2 hot seat. After working as a stuntman in Hollywood for over 20 years, David Leitch made the leap behind the camera with 2014's John Wick. Roundly and rightly adored because of its high-octane action, John Wick made $86 million and a sequel was soon green-lit.
However, David Leitch has decided just to return as producer on John Wick: Chapter 2, leaving solo directing duties to Chad Stahelski, who he shared them with on the original. Instead, David Leitch moved onto The Coldest City, an action thriller set in Berlin on the eve of the Wall's collapse, which stars Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman and Sofia Boutella. The Coldest City will be released on August 11, 2017.
We can expect an announcement regarding Deadpool 2 very soon, because 20th Century Fox will want to quash any fears over its production, while they'll also want to get cameras rolling pretty pronto ahead of its release in 2018.
