Kiera Knightly is not going to be very happy.
The eagerly, long-awaited casting announcement for Deadpool’s sequel has finally been announced, and surprisingly, it’s a returning veteran for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor who will portray Cable alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool will be none other than Josh Brolin himself.
This is interesting for a few reasons. First of all, Brolin is already portraying another role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thanos, the omnipotent villain who loves to sit in chairs and wait until Avengers: Infinity War comes out. Yet, here he is, announced to star alongside Deadpool in his anticipated sequel. Granted, Thanos is not really a standout role for Brolin (mostly because his character is entirely CGI). Still, seeing him in two different Marvel movies might be disorienting, yet can make for some entertaining content if Deadpool’s wit has anything to say about it.
Also, this is the fourth superhero movie that Brolin has been circling from the past few years. Back in 2013, Brolin was being considered for Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DC flop Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Thank God that didn’t happen. He also previously portrayed the lead in the other DC box office bomb Jonah Hex. Now that he’s Cable, he seems fully committed to the Marvel game and will no doubt be a part of the franchise for quite a while, considering the future Avengers and X-Force movies coming out respectively.
I still don’t know how I feel about Brolin as Cable. He is definitely a better choice in this role than he would have been as Batman, but I can’t help but look at other considered actors and think they would have been more fit for the part. Stephen Lang, for instance, has demonstrated his grit in both Avatar and Don’t Breathe, and that could have contrasted very well with Reynolds’ sarcasm and patronizing. Michael Shannon was also in the running, and considering how well he portrayed Zod in DC’s Man of Steel, I know he could have brought that same edge and roughness into Cable. Brad Pitt was also being considered, and we can only dream about the potential with that casting. Can you imagine the jokes Deadpool could have came up with? I can only wonder about their first meeting: “Why do you look like Brad Pitt?”
All the same, Brolin is definitely not a bad choice, and if anything, I’m curious to see where he will take the character. We’ll have to see for ourselves when Deadpool 2 comes out next year.
– David Dunn
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter, MovieWeb.com
DAVID DUNN 