Fans of the Deadpool franchise received shocking news this morning when it was announced that director Tim Miller will no longer be working on the anticipated sequel of everyone’s favorite Merc with a Mouth.

This comes as a surprise for Deadpool fans, considering the first film made $786 million worldwide this year.  Back in 2014, Tim Miller had leaked the test footage to the internet, sparking a huge level of excitement for the picture’s release. This sneak tactic of announcing the film’s creation, and the combination of dark humor and true-to-form rating for Deadpool’s violent and twisted persona, made Deadpool one of the most prolific examples of a cinematic success story.

The film’s budget had been $58 million with only a poor representation of Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine to stand as the beginning point of introducing the Merc to cinemas. The huge difference between the film adaptations of the character had been a direct result of successful collaboration with Tim Miller, Ryan Reynolds, and their amazing writing team.

Immediately after its release, Deadpool was greenlit for a sequel set for 2018. However, according to Deadline, Tim Miller bowed out from the film’s creation last Friday. The cause for his exit had been over creative differences between himself and the leading man, Ryan Reynolds. Deadline stated that the departure was on amicable terms, though we’ve yet to see what this means for the picture’s release. At this time, Fox is still working with Tim Miller as he begins his newest project: Influx.

Fortunately the original writers of the film -Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Reynolds himself- are still working on the script, from what we have seen. For now, Fox Studios still has their sights on creating a successful “Part Deux” in Mr. Wilson’s storyline, though they are currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on their final installment of Wolverine’s story. The trailer release for Wolverine’s final chapter, Logan, was released last week and caused a huge splash throughout the internet.

Ryan Reynold’s has proven that he knows the character and has been working avidly to have this project brought to light accurately for well over a decade. Knowing that, what do you guys think about the sudden departure? Do you think it will impact the sequel in an irreparable way? Sound off with your thoughts below!