T.J. Miller Won’t Be Recast in ‘Deadpool 2’ Despite Sexual Assault Accusations
Following their sexual harassment and/or assault scandals last year, many prominent men in Hollywood were excised from their communities: Harvey Weinstein stepped down as head of The Weinstein Company, Louis C.K.’s new movie was never released, and Kevin Spacey was completely replaced in All the Money in the World. In December, news broke of an assault charge against actor and comedian T.J. Miller, who currently stars as Wade Wilson’s best friend Weasel in the Deadpool movies. Though the sequel comes out in June, it doesn’t sound like Fox (who currently control the Deadpool franchise) and Marvel (who, thru Disney, would assume control if/when the company’s acquisition of Fox is finalized) has any plans to recast him.
While talking to Rotten Tomatoes, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner said that Miller’s bits in Deadpool 2 will probably be kept. “We’re in the final editing,” she said. “I don’t think so.” She deferred to Marvel Studios about recasting his role in the future, saying that that’s “a whole studio thing. I don’t know.”
The closest comparison to be made here is Ridley Scott’s last-minute recasting of his movie All the Money in the World, in which he replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer merely two months before the movie opened. If they really wanted to, Fox could probably pull the same trick for Deadpool 2, but it’s not exactly the same situation. They have more time, yes, but Deadpool 2 is a franchise movie made by a major studio, while All the Money in the World was Ridley Scott’s creature. Scott had also spoken to Plummer before about being cast in the role, so he had his details. Fox likely doesn’t have a replacement Weasel on retainer.
That said, I think it is possible that Weasel’s role will be significantly reduced. We’re not going to forget about Miller’s sexual assault charges five months from now. Deadpool 2 hits theaters June 1.