The role of Cable in Deadpool 2 is easily the most in-demand role in all of Hollywood. A-list stars like Russell Crowe have campaigned for the gig on Twitter, Stranger Things breakout David Harbour is said to be in talks, and Michael Shannon was rumored to have tested for the role with Ryan Reynolds only to back out due to scheduling conflicts.
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Speaking to Deadpool‘s writer Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick at a press event for their upcoming film Life, which reunited them with Deadpool himself Ryan Reynolds, ComicBook.com got an update on the status of the Cable search.
“It’s a short, short list,” Reese said.
“An announcement will be coming very soon,” Wernick chimed in. “We’re gonna go into production in the next couple of months and cast announcements will be coming fast and furious.”
While the writers were unable to disclose any of the stars in contention for the role, they did share the details of traits which will determine the selection.
“I think intimidating, scary, a great foil opposite the lunacy,” Reese said. “Someone with a great deadpan thing where they can react to someone who’s being crazy. Someone who also has a spark of a sense of humor. This person has to be funny because they’re buddying up with Ryan [Reynolds] and Deadpool so they just themselves to be funny but in a more serious way, if that makes sense. Physically imposing and able to emote. There’s real drama and real stakes. It’s a tough one.”
Wernick was quick to point out that 20th Century Fox will need somebody “who can carry a franchise moving forward.”
“They’ve got X-Force coming up,” Wernick said. “Cable is head of the X-Force so it’s someone who can also command a movie franchise. It’s a tall task and we have been on the hunt for a very long time. I think once it’s announced, as we get closer, people are gonna go crazy for it.”
As for their more recent Life project, which is a horrifying and claustrophic tale about astronauts discovering the first sign of alien life, the writing duo was excited to branch out from the violent comedy elements for a genuine thriller.
“This was a new muscle for us to flex,” Reese said. “It really was fun to try something different.”
“We’ve always wanted to try to scare people. We’ve always felt like we’ve had that movie in us. It was nice to try something different for a change.”
“Scaring people usually involved me hiding behind a wall and jumping out at people,” Wernick said. “This is just a much more fun way to do it. Much more efficient.”
Deadpool 2 is currently ranked fourth in ComicBook.com Anticipation Rankings among all scheduled comic book movies. Fans have awarded the upcoming film a 4.22/5 rating.
Life hits theaters on March 24. Deadpool 2 is expected to arrive in 2018.
MORE DEADPOOL 2: Writers Explain The Cable And Wade Dynamic / Deadpool’s Colossus Reveals Which X-Men Property He’d Like To Appear In / Here’s What Zazie Beetz Could Look Like As Domino
