Really, at this stage, there isn't a male, white actor over the age of 45 who hasn't been up for Deadpool 2.
So far, we've had Mel Gibson, David Harbour, Pierce Brosnan, Kyle Chandler and Russell Crowe all mentioned in relation to the role of Cable, but now another name has come to the fore - Michael Shannon. According to an exclusive report by THR, Shannon is apparently close to signing on for the role and is the studio's first choice for the role.
There's no word as of yet if Shannon has signed up for it, but THR's report states that he has committed to an indie film and that may prevent him from making it happen. Shannon, as we know, has truck with comic-book films as he played General Zod in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and he also had a small role in the forgettable Jonah Hex adaptation with Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender.
Rhett Rheese, one of Deadpool's writers, explained in a recent interview with Comicbook.com that their version of the character, Cable, requires an actor who would be "intimidating, scary, a great foil opposite the lunacy... 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."
So, that's basically Michael Shannon in a nutshell. Rheese went on, saying that they're close to announcing the casting and that production is due to begin in the next couple of months, so very likely Shannon's the man to play Cable. He's certainly the best choice we've heard so far, anyway, and Shannon can be particularly funny when he wants to be, and definitely has that deadpan humour down to a tee.
What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments!
Via THR / Comicbook.com