Well, all the rumors and previous reports of actors that were in the running to play Cable in Deadpool 2 could not have seen this one coming. Josh Brolin has been confirmed to play the time-traveling mutant in the sequel. Yes, that Josh Brolin, as in the actor who is already playing Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For those who aren’t keeping up, the actors that were under consideration ranged from Michael Shannon and David Harbour to Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe. Even Deadpool himself (Ryan Reynolds) threw in a few of names, such as Keira Knightley.

THR says the Sin City actor signed a four-picture deal, which means that we could be seeing a lot more of Brolin. There is a possibility of him appearing in at least one X-Men film, X-Force, and possibly his own spinoff. X-Force seems more likely considering the character is the leader of that team.

Cable has one of the most complex backstories in the comics. He is the adult son of the X-Man Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Madelyne Pryor (Jean Grey’s clone), but was raised as a soldier in a future timeline. Though he also has mutant abilities, Cable has relied on his cybernetic enhancements and large high-tech guns. However, his personality would not be more different than Deadpool. For one thing, Deadpool finds joy in overkilling his targets with maximum effort whereas Cable is more of a man of action. The two’s differing styles make for a great buddy cop film as one likes to play if fast and loose while the other wants to get the job done right.

Normally, we hear of actors who appeared in Fox’s Marvel films jumping ship to Marvel Studios. But here, we have the complete opposite. So it should be interesting to hear what drew Brolin to the role given that he is already playing a major Marvel Comics character for a competing studio.

Though Brolin has been known more for his dramatic roles, he has dabbled in comedy a few times. From the Goonies and Men In Black III all the way to Hail, Caesar!, Brolin has proven to be a versatile actor and one who isn’t afraid to stray out of his comfort zone. So hopefully he’ll be able to keep up with Ryan Reynolds, as he was just quick with the wise cracks.

Brolin’s other credits include Milk, Inherent Vice, Sicario, and No Country For Old Men.

Directed by David Leitch, Deadpool 2 also stars Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) as Domino.

[Source: THR]