Former X-FORCE director Jeff Wadlow on why his X-Men spin-off didn’t go into production.

Collider recently spoke with director Jeff Wadlow, who was originally set to direct 20th Century Fox’s X-FORCE film. While his planned film and screenplay fell through; later being picked up by director and writer Joe Carnahan, he opened up about what his plans were for his take on the team of mutants that hold a different mission from Professor Charles Xavier’s X-Men.

“I wrote a draft and they really liked it,” he said. “They just reached a critical moment, where they were deciding whether they were going to make Deadpool or X-Force. I’ve always loved Deadpool and I tried to rehabilitate him in my X-Force movie because, like the rest of the fans, I felt like they totally screwed it up in X-Men: Origins. I had actually been talking to Ryan Reynolds about playing him in my X-Force movie, but my X-Force movie was much more focused on Cable and the New Mutants becoming this paramilitary unit. So, Fox was trying to decide whether they going to do the Deadpool solo movie or my X-Force movie. Fortunately, they picked the Deadpool solo movie because it’s great. Fortunately for the world, I should say, but unfortunately for me. But, I have no complaints about the process. I’m a huge fan of Ryan’s and I loved the Deadpool solo movie. I’m super excited for Deadpool 2. It’s a little bit of a bummer, but that’s life in the big leagues.”

Wadlow said that his film would’ve showed a different side of the X-Men universe:

“When I pitched for it, I said, ‘If X-Men is about the mutants that get to go to private school, I want to make a movie about the mutants that go to public school. They’re the kids that don’t have a jet swooping down to help them, with Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. What’s it like when you don’t have those guys helping you out and you’re forced to figure out who you are in this world?’”

Click here to read more from Wadlow’s interview.