'Deadpool 2' Casts Josh Brolin As Cable

Josh Brolin is no stranger to comic book movies and he'll soon add another superhero character to his filmography. The Oscar-nominated actor, who has a habit of working with some of the best and most interesting filmmakers on the planet, has been cast as Cable in Deadpool 2.

Even if you aren't familiar with the character from the X-Men comics, you've probably heard a thing or two about Cable over the past few months as 20th Century Fox has sought their latest mutant superhero. Before casting Brolin, the studio and director David Leitch sought everyone from Brad Pitt to Michael Shannon to Stranger Things star David Harbour. Russell Crowe was even tossed into the conversation, even though he was never really considered for the part.

But now, The Hollywood Reporter says Brolin has not only landed the role of Cable in Deadpool 2, he's signed a four-film contract, so we'll be seeing a lot of him in X-Men movies for the foreseeable future. While Cable will get to be the steely-eyed, no-nonsense foil to Ryan Reynolds' wisecracking Wade Wilson in the Deadpool sequel, he's surely going to take center stage in the X-Force movie, a team that he has frequently led in the pages of Marvel comics.

For those who don't know, Cable is the adult son of X-Man Scott Summers (AKA Cyclops), who was raised in a dystopian future and returns to the present as a grizzled soldier with telekinetic powers, cybernetic enhancements, and a penchant for large guns. He is a Very Serious character, which makes his frequent team-ups with the goofy Deadpool all the sillier. Brolin, a strong actor capable of masking strong comedic chops under a thick layer of hyper-masculine stoicism, is inspired casting. And unlike Michael Shannon, it's easy to imagine Brolin enjoying being part of the giant blockbuster machine.

After all, Brolin is already part of another superhero franchise. He plays the villainous Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a role that will finally see him at the forefront of the action in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. Considering the tensions between Fox and Disney when it comes to Marvel comic book character rights, you have to wonder what the behind-the-scenes negotiations looked like on this one...and if Disney is none-too-pleased by this development.

Of course, Brolin dabbled in comic book movies before that, playing the title character in the abysmal Jonah Hex movie (even though Brolin himself was well-cast). When he's not acting in comic book films, Brolin is working with the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice), Denis Villeneuve (Sicario), Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men, Hail Caesar! and True Grit), Oliver Stone (W.), and Gus Van Sant (Milk, for which he received an Oscar nomination). Brolin is, simply put, one of the most interesting guys working in Hollywood today, seemingly happy to rotate between the arthouse and the multiplex without blinking. At the very least, his take on Cable is going to be interesting.