But Why, Though? Josh Brolin Cast as Cable in Deadpool 2

Jill Pantozzi | April 12th, 2017

He’s not the first comic book movie actor to take on multiple roles and I’m sure he won’t be the last but this is a new level of WTF. Josh Brolin, who’s playing Thanos in the Marvel cinematic universe, has just been cast as Cable in Fox’s Deadpool 2.

I complained previously when reports suggested Michael Shannon, who played General Zod in Man of Steel, might take the role in the David Leitch-directed film but this is weirder. The Hollywood Reporter writes:

The production has been on the warpath to find the right actor for the role for months, with Michael Shannon almost nabbing the role and Stranger Things star David Harbour on the shortlist. (There were even rumors of conversations with Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt.)

In the end, Brolin emerged as a surprise contender, notching his second Marvel Comics character in the process; the actor plays the villain Thanos in the Marvel Studios movies. Sources say Brolin’s deal is for four movies.

There’s bound to be overlap sometimes with these roles, star Reynolds also famously played Green Lantern, but when you factor in distance to the previous role plus tangential universes, this Brolin thing doesn’t work for me. Actor Stephen Lang had also been famously campaigning for the role and I think he would have been a much more interesting choice. I also would have been very interested to see what Harbour did with the role.

Atlanta’s Zazie Beetz has already been cast as Domino in the film which is set for an early 2018 release. Brolin will also be seen later that year as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018.