‘Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 2’ News: No Director Yet and Jeremy Renner is Too Busy to Start Shooting

Production to Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 had been silent the past few months after reports that the movie has lost its director.

Deadline has reported last September that director Tommy Wirkola has left the sequel stating, "I've just decided to not direct Hansel & Gretel 2. I have been lately attached to a few more things, it's just a matter of time and priorities. I did Dead Snow 1, then Hansel & Gretel 1, and then Dead Snow 2. I want to do something a little bit different now and not just do sequels. I did write the script and I hope to be involved in it. But yeah, I won't be directing it."

In the previous film, the production has suffered a lot of setbacks and Paramount had limited critics to screen the movie, thus the bad reviews it received. But, nonetheless, the movie had found an audience and raked in $226 million worldwide in receipts. So, Paramount had promised a sequel and is intended for release by 2016.

Then bad news came in because lead actor, Jeremy Renner, is very busy due to his left and right projects and Wirkola doesn't know when to shoot the movie.

Renner, on the other hand mentioned that, "I don't have any problem with (doing the sequel). Yeah. (The first one) was a lot of fun. It was fun to do that movie, and just have a ball." Now that Wirkola abandoned the project, it would be unlikely when will principal photography begins.

But it seems like the thing both Wirkola and Renner want before they'd consider Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 is time. And time is often the death of sequels.