Following the debut of the first Deadpool 3 trailer, some are wondering where franchise star T.J. Miller is following years of controversy and allegations including sexual assault.
Miller starred alongside Ryan Reynolds in both Deadpool and Deadpool 2 as the joke-cracking barkeep Weasel.
However, as wheels began to spin on the upcoming third Deadpool film - this time produced by Marvel Studios - Miller's name was noticeably absent from a cast featuring a plethora of returning Deadpool franchise characters.
[ Deadpool 3 Cast: Every Character Who Will Appear (Confirmed & Reported) ]
Where Is T.J. Miller In Deadpool 3?
While the upcoming Deadpool 3 - officially titled Deadpool & Wolverine - features several major players from past Deadpool movies coming back for another go at the R-rated comic book carousel, one name missing is T.J. Miller.
Since working on Deadpool 2, Miller has become deeply embroiled in controversy including allegations of sexual assault.
In December 2017 (mere months after filming wrapped on Deadpool 2), Miller was accused of sexual assault by a woman who attended college with the comedian. She alleged that in 2001, Miller became violent during a sexual encounter, resulting in the actor choking, shaking, and physically striking the woman without her consent (per Daily Beast).
This accusation came as a part of the widespread MeToo movement in Hollywood, causing Miller to be essentially ousted from the entertainment industry.
In response to the accusation, Miller called his accuser a vindictive former classmate in a statement (via Variety) who was "using the current climate to bandwagon and launch these false accusations:"
"Sadly she is now using the current climate to bandwagon and launch these false accusations again. It is unfortunate that she is choosing this route as it undermines the important movement to make women feel safe coming forward about legitimate claims against real known predators."
Following the sexual assault claim, Miller was pulled from his role as Tuffnutt in Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and has no major acting credits to his name since the legal drama.
This is likely the biggest reason why Miller was not asked back for Deadpool and Wolverine as Hollywood distances itself from the actor.
He has also since found himself dealing with the law in other circumstances, being arrested in April 2018 after making a bomb threat aboard a New York Amtrak train.
There turned out to be no explosive device or materials present, and the charges were dismissed in 2021 with Miller committing to "make full financial restitution for the costs of the law enforcement response to the false 911 call" (via Deadline).
The T.J. Miller and Ryan Reynolds Beef
While these legal troubles would have likely been enough to justify the actor not getting the call back for Deadpool 3, the apparent fracture between Miller and Deadpool lead Ryan Reynolds may have also had something to do with it.
Miller got in hot water with the Marvel superstar in October 2022, positing on a podcast appearance that Reynolds "hates" him:
"It’s weird that he hates me."
He continued, saying he would not be working with Reynolds again, saying, "As the character, he was horrifically mean to me" during the production of Deadpool 2:
"As the character, he was horrifically mean to me as if I’m Weasel. So he was like, 'You know what’s great about you, Weasel? You’re not the star, but you do just enough exposition so that it’s funny, and then we can leave and get back to the real movie.'"
Miller explained that he "got along with him a lot better on the first Deadpool," but the fame the first film brought Reynolds - in Miller's words - got to the Deadpool actor's head:
“I got along with him a lot better on the first 'Deadpool' because he wasn’t a huge, huge movie star.”
He even went as far as to call Reynolds "insecure" and claim, "[he] would not have done Deadpool 3" even if he were offered double the pay:
"I would not have done 'Deadpool 3' if they came to me and were like, 'We want you to do 'Deadpool 3,' and we’re going to pay you twice as much.'"
"I don't really think you should do something for more than five years," the Deadpool actor added, citing that as one of the reasons he would not even want to do Deadpool 3:
"I don't really think you should do something for more than five years. I think it's weird to just go back and play Weasel 10 years later."
Miller later walked these comments back calling it all a "misunderstanding," and saying everything had been cleared up between him and Ryan Reynolds.
[ How Ryan Reynolds Reacted to Controversial Deadpool Comments From TJ Miller ]
Deadpool & Wolverine comes to theaters on July 26.
