Deadpool Director Announced: VFX Artist Tim Miller

After a long hunt, it looks like Deadpool has found his man.

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Visual Effects Artist Tim Miller has been tapped by 20th Century Fox to direct Marvel's Deadpool in his own feature film. Actor Ryan Reynolds, who played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, will reprise his role in this new installment, albiet unconnected to the convoluted nature of that film.

This would be Miller's first time directing a feature film, but he has a long history as a Visual Effects supervisor on several films including comic flicks like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, X-Men, X2 and Daredevil. Miller and directed several animated shorts for Blur Studio, the VFX house he co-founded in 1995. Back in 2005, Vin Diesel optioned Miller & Blur's short film Rockfish for a feature-length film with Miller himself in the chair to direct, but the project wound up in development hell. Miller was also pencilled in to direct a segment of an upcoming revamped Heavy Metal film, but that too fell by the wayside.

Miller joins a well-skilled group of people trying to bring the Merc with a Mouth to the silver screen once again: Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have already written the script, and longtime blockbuster film producer Lauren Shuler Donner is shepherding the project.

Miller's track record shows a strong skillset of style and substance when it comes to the look of the film, but his ability to depict live-action drama remains to be seen (Tron: Legacy, anyone?). Hopefully, Miller is up to the challenge — a script from the Zombieland duo doesn't hurt one bit. Plus, if Miller can bring some of the zany-ness seen in Scott Pilgrim to Deadpool that wouldn't be too bad either.

Comments

  1. How much “drama” really needs to be in a Deadpool movie? This is just going to be the same joke over and over and over again for 2 hours, right? Or is it going to be different than the comics?

  2. A little wary. Let’s not forget that Spawn and Alien Vs Predator Requiem came from Visual FX-turned-directors. That’s not to say being a Special FX guy means that you won’t be able to cut it as a director, but that it takes a different set of skills to excel in both fields. Hopefully Miller has a good directing eye.

    Also, I’m very confident that the script by the Zombieland guys will be stellar. Let’s just hope it doesn’t go through a series of rewrites with different people.

  3. Ah ha! You see! I knew this film was gonna go back on track. Not the best choice I would make for a director but I have every confidence he will do the job done and make this right.

    …..For the love of god please let this be good. 

  4. First time directors on bigger budget things like this have a lot of supervision from the studio…its not uncommon to have a mentor director help them out. The important pieces here are the DP, AD, Editor, and the real hands on producer. If those guys are industry vets, they will guide the way. Those are the choices that matter even more than the director…The DP especially….he’s the one who shoots the movie, and in a lot of cases is the 2nd director. 

    Bring some of that Scott Pilgrim over to Deadpool..this could be a really fun movie if handled right… 

  5. As odd as it sounds, the Scott Pilgrim stuff would work in a Deadpool book.  We deffinitly need to break the 4th wall with this…

  6. I’ve heard that they’re at least wiping the slate clean with the film version of Deadpool. As long as we get a fresh start, this could be entertaining.

  7. “Ugh” for me, but I’m sure (like the Deadpool comics) it will be a huge hit and make oodles of cabbage.

  8. David Fincher was a SFX dude turned director. I am not saying this guy is equatable but it really could go either way.

  9. @ResurrectionFlan  That actually makes so much sense now that somebody has told me. Love David Fincher!

  10. @ResurrectionFlan  Great point.

  11. Not saying I have a problem with David Finch but I could never see Deadpool being a good movie.
    I just pray that its not going to be the same Deadpool from the X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

  12. It’s simple math people, if you like David Finch, you’re going to love this movie.

  13. I doubt Deadpool will have a large blockbuster like budget. I can easily see them making this film for under 80 million.

  14. @josh  I completely get where you’re coming from, but it’s a Deadpool movie its alright to be alittle nervouse. but you are right Josh. If you like David Finch then we won’t be disappointed.

  15. The thing with David Fincher, though, was that he had minor professional directorial work in between being a SFX tech and a director. He got his feet wet with music videos and ads where he developed his style.

  16. @Hornhead Yeah his technical fastidiousness makes more sense with that in mind I think. Fincher did SFX on Return of the Jedi too! So he was pretty much at the top of his game when he started doing music videos.

    @supertrackmonkey $80 mil is still a lot! Haha I just edited a feature film that we got in under $23k 😛

    Yay shameless plugging: http://oneanothermovie.com/

  17. The problem is that FOX is ultimately working on the project. Unless X-Men: First Class and the Spider-Reboot are surprisingly good we all know how Fox’s recent track record is with Marvel adaptations.

  18. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Agh. Why are the Zombieland guys doing this? I hope it makes them some good coin to go make other original projects. 

  19. @PaulMontgomery  The way I see it, I’m glad that talented guys are writing this so that it doesn’t turn into the shallow gagfest that has been going in the main series for 33 issues.

  20. The originally Kelly / McGuinness run is actually good though right? I remember that in like 9th grade being good.

  21. David Finch’s Ei8ht was awesome!

  22. @ResurrectionFlan  Joe Kelly’s run was cool, as is Duane Swierczynski’s and Rick Remender’s work with him. My favorite run is the Gail Simone one, though.

  23. @Paul: As far as we know, imdb hasn’t confirmed them yet but there have been strong rumors, that the guys are going to do a Zombieland 2 and then a Cowboy/Ninja/Viking adaptation.

    So ‘originality’ is not in their minds right now. But there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that with these guys. I can’t wait for more Zombieland goodness and since I haven’t read the book yet I’d be interested to see the CNV adaptation. Plus they’re perfect for Deadpool given their over the top, kinetic writing. 

  24. There is a lot of talent involved with his project and I sort of have no problem giving a pass to anyone involved with Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, especially the VFX supervisor.

  25. Do people happen to remember what Fincher’s first feature film was?

    Okay, I didn’t actually mind Alien 3 that much, but…

  26. bona fide stinker