Ryan Reynolds Says T.J. Miller Won’t Appear in the ‘X-Force’ Movie

T.J. Miller may have avoided being cut from two of this year’s biggest blockbusters, but the actor and comedian’s troubling history — and recent run-in with the law — hasn’t escaped notice. Although 20th Century Fox declined to have Miller cut from Deadpool 2, co-star (and executive producer) Ryan Reynolds has confirmed that he won’t be reprising his role as Weasel in the upcoming X-Force movie.

Last December, T.J. Miller joined the growing list of Hollywood men accused of committing sexual assault when an allegation from a former college classmate resurfaced in The Daily Beast. Miller and his wife denied the allegations in a crassly-worded response. Not long after, a transgender film critic released a damning email received from Miller, in which the actor used transphobic hate speech. Then, just last month, Miller was arrested for drunkenly calling in a fake bomb threat — a federal offense — in what appeared to be an act of retaliation directed toward a female passenger on the train he was riding.

Though Miller’s alleged transgressions prior to the arrest seemingly weren’t enough to merit his removal from Ready Player One or Deadpool 2 — both of which were in post-production at the time of the resurfaced sexual assault allegation — it appears that, at the very least, he won’t be welcome back to the Deadpool universe anytime soon.

Speaking with The New York Times, star Ryan Reynolds confirmed that Miller will “not be in Deadpool’s next film, X-Force” — though he declined to comment on the allegations against Miller and his recent arrest. Reynolds didn’t elaborate further about Miller’s role in the franchise, and whether he might return in a future film (Reynolds himself is unsure if a Deadpool 3 will even happen).

Still, some fans (myself included) have voiced discomfort and disappointment with Miller’s presence in both Ready Player One and Deadpool 2. While Miller’s role in Ready Player One was unlikely untouched due to the mo-cap nature of the performance (which presents unique technical and contractural complexities), 20th Century Fox’s refusal to cut Miller from Deadpool 2 seemed absurd — particularly after Ridley Scott replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World mere weeks before the film’s release; that bold maneuver was a response to numerous sexual assault allegations against Spacey.

If Scott could replace an entire human being with another actor in just six weeks, surely director David Leitch and his team could replace Miller (or cut him entirely) in six months. Though it’s good to know that Miller won’t be appearing in X-Force, and that his toxic behavior and alleged sexual assault haven’t left his career unscathed, Reynolds’ confirmation of his departure is little comfort to those troubled by his involvement with Deadpool 2.