Surprise and no little consternation greeted the news last week that Deadpool director Tim Miller, one of the key people in bringing the smart-mouthed suited troublemaker to the screen, had left the sequel over creative differences. He's now pursuing other projects, including Sony's planned film based around Sonic The Hedgehog.
Though the movie has been in the works between the studio and super-producer Neal H. Moritz for a couple of years now, it's still early days for Miller's involvement and he's currently just developing it as a potential directing gig for colleague Jeff Fowler, with whom he has worked for years at production and effects house Blur Studio.
The idea is to turn the basic concept – Sonic, alongside fellow speedy chums Tails and Knuckles doing their best to thwart the schemes of Doctor Eggman Robotnik – into a Smurfs-style mix of live-action and CGI.
“Jeff is an incredible director with strong story instincts," Miller tells The Hollywood Reporter. "The world of Sonic presents the perfect opportunity for him to leverage his experience in animation to bring new dimension to this iconic character."
As for Miller's own future directing plans, he has a variety of projects on the bubble, including an adaptation of violent comic book The Goon and the sci-fi novel-based Influx.