It was only a little while ago that I was spreading doom-and-gloom in regards to Deadpool, the comic book movie Ryan Reynolds seems to have on the end of a very long to-do list. Though the script, written by Zombieland scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, is absolutely fantastic and Reynolds considers the film to be a passion project, there's been very little forward motion in recent months. Lucky for us, that changes now.
Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox has hired Tim Miller to direct Deadpool. Who is Tim Miller, you may ask? A first time director, he's spent most of his career as a visual effects artist, most notably on X-Men and X2: X-Men United. A spin-off from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (though the project smartly distances itself from that film), Deadpool is a cancer -stricken mercenary with zero conscience and who never shuts up, earning him the nickname "The Merc With The Mouth." A subject of medical experiments, Deadpool's greatest tool - other than being quite handy with guns and swords - is the fact that he is nearly impossible to kill due to regenerative powers.
While some may be a bit hesitant to be happy about a first time director on a project like this, I am absolutely ecstatic. The Wernick/Reece script is impeccably structured and could be visual dynamite, meaning that if Miller works off the page and adds in his own tricks, the film could be brilliant. The only concern that I have is that Fox hired Miller because they know they can control every move he makes, meaning that we may not get the Deadpool movie we all want and deserve. But before we get worried about all of that, let's just see the damn thing go into production.
