It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 2016 has been a big year for Deadpool. The Merc with a Mouth finally got his big screen debut after years and years (and years and years) of determined doggedness from the creative team (and a wee bit of internet-nip leaked footage). And it not only was it good, it was a huge hit, quickly becoming the highest-grossing X-Men film to date. So it makes sense that 20th Century Fox charged full-speed-ahead into the sequel, but trouble quickly emerged in the pre-production process and director Tim Miller dropped off the project over creative differences.

Since then, reports have floated around online that Miller and star/producer Ryan Reynolds disagreed about the scope of the sequel. Deadpool was famously made on a modest budget, and some questionable reports suggested that Miller envisioned the sequel as a much bigger-budget affair. But during a wide-ranging interview on CG Garage, Miller finally spoke out about why he left the project and he made it very clear that was never the case.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Addressing the fans, he assured them he always wanted to make the "same kind of movie" as the first,

"I just want to say one thing to the geek audience out there, because it’s important to me what the geeks and nerds of the world think because they are my brothers and sisters. I didn’t want to make some stylized movie that was 3 times the budget. If you read the internet — who cares, really? But for those of you who do, I wanted to make the same kind of movie that we made before because I think that’s the right movie to make for the character. So don’t believe what you read on the internet."

Miller also cleared up another popular rumor -- that he was determined to cast Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler as Deadpool's grizzled frienemy Cable.

"I wanted to do the same thing [as the first movie]. Kyle Chandler was not going to be Cable. All this stuff that I read kind of kills me."

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Miller also fired back against the idea that the first movie was a tough shoot, likely in response to some of Reynolds' recent comments about having a "very, very difficult" time making the movie and "vaguely scary fights in the post-production process". In contrast, Miller calls it "the best experience of my life."

"Even when some people go, “The movie was really hard to make.” The movie was a joy to make. I think you see it on screen. We all had such a good time. We had a few arguments in post, but nothing more than usual. The crew was so great, everybody was going to come back and we were going to have such a good time and the idea that it was a difficult movie…It wasn’t, it was a joy, and it was the best experience of my life."

Fortunately for Deadpool fans, of which Miller is one, the sequel was quick to find a promising replacement at the helm -- John Wick co-director David Leitch. And Miller has nothing but good will for the project and the studio, which is to be expected considering he's already developing his next project with Fox; an adaptation of the best-selling cyber-thriller Influx. Looking forward, Miller said,

"I wish them nothing but good — I hope it’s great. I hope it’s a great movie. Because I love the character and I think it’s great, and I love all the actors and I want to see them successful again. I haven’t met David, but he’s a great guy from everything I’ve heard. I want nothing but the best for the character. And for Fox, too. They deserve to make more money. They need to make more money [laughs]. They were great. They were terrific."

You can check out the full 90-minute interview with Miller and Tron: Legacy and Oblivion director Joseph Kosinski in the video below.

For more of the latest on Deadpool, check out the links below.

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Image via 20th Century Fox