Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld has revealed that Deadpool 2 was originally going to star Brad Pitt as Cable.
Speaking with ComicBook.com‘s Collectibles Show, Liefeld confirmed Pitt was originally going to play Cable in 2018’s Deadpool 2 before the role ultimately went to Josh Brolin.
“I know for 100% fact that was true,” Liefeld said. “They did previews, and David Leitch had a very special relationship doing stunt work with [Pitt]. What people don’t know is that was very early early on. So when they knew they weren’t going in that direction, they went down several others.”
Pitt still briefly appeared in Deadpool 2 as Vanisher, a character who joins Wade Wilson’s X-Force team but then quickly meets an unpleasant death after the team attempts to parachute out of an airplane on their first mission.
Deadpool 2 was directed by Leitch, who then went on to work with Pitt again on 2022’s Bullet Train.
Deadpool is getting ready for another live-action adventure
Ryan Reynold’s Merc With a Mouth, meanwhile, is about to make his MCU debut in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool 3. Along with Reynolds, the movie will see Hugh Jackman reprise his role as Wolverine. Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Colossus, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, and Rob Delaney as Peter will also appear in Deadpool 3, while Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfayden have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
There’s been no confirmation as to whether or not Brolin will reprise his role as Cable in Deadpool 3, though it may be unlikely given the actor already played Thanos in the MCU. In 2019, Brolin said at the ACE Comic Con Seattle, via ComicBook.com, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m actually, I’ve been calling them, like, ‘What’s the deal with Cable, man?’ Seriously, 100 percent serious. They’re figuring it out. It’s a big world now, it just got much, much bigger. So who knows.”
Directed by Free Guy’s Shawn Levy, Deadpool 3 releases in United States theaters on July 26, 2024, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are both currently streaming on Disney+.
