'Deadpool 2' news, release date: Director Tim Miller drops out due to 'creative differences'

"Deadpool" director Tim Miller will not be returning to helm the sequel.

Various media outlets report that Miller, who directed Fox's "Deadpool," its most lucrative "X-Men" film to date, has dropped out of the follow-up to the 2016 blockbuster hit, with additional reports claiming that his departure was prompted by creative differences with "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds.

Earlier this year, Fox announced that Miller was working on the sequel alongside "Deadpool" screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. Unfortunately, the director has reportedly been butting heads with Reynolds over certain creative aspects of the film.

Deadline notes that Miller and Reynold's "mutual creative differences" were behind the director's exit. According to The Hollywood Reporter, while Reynolds was a producer on "Deadpool," his decision-making powers for the film series has since increased.

"Deadpool," which launched a whole new franchise for Fox, revived Reynolds' career much in the same way that the "Iron Man" series re-energized Robert Downey Jr.'s. It also set up a new trajectory for Miller, who was previously known for his work as a visual effects specialist.

Deadline says that the split between Miller and Fox was nonetheless amicable and that the director will soon lead another major Fox film, "Influx," an adaptation of the sci-fi novel of the same title by best-selling author Daniel Suarez. "Influx" will reportedly be the first in what is anticipated to be a trilogy of films.

"Deadpool 2" was teased in the post-credits scene of its predecessor and is expected to begin production early next year. But without a director, the production schedule may be drastically altered. THR notes that the sequel is now in its casting stages, with six actresses currently in the middle of testing for the role of Domino, the film's new female lead.

While Reynolds has yet to comment on Miller's departure, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" director James Gunn expresses his disappointment in a recent Twitter post. 

"Deadpool 2" hits theaters Jan. 12, 2018.