Fox currently has a wide range of X-Men movies in various stages of development, but the one we'll see first is Deadpool 2, set for release in 2018. A teaser for the film played before Logan, and while it now transpires it isn't a totally accurate representation of what the movie will be like, it did confirm that Ryan Reynolds return as Wade Wilson will maintain the character's cocky irreverence.
The sequel won't just be more of the same, however. Although the budget of the film is going to be in the same mid-range ballpark, the scope of the world is going to be vastly increased, with several fan-favorite characters introduced ahead of the assembling of the X-Force. Zazie Beetz was recently cast as Domino, and, as first teased back in the original's second post-credits scene, Cable will be there too. There's been a lot of speculation over which actor will play the time-travelling Nathan Summers, and it sounds like we may shortly find out who it actually is.
While promoting their new movie Life writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick talked with ComicBook.com about the casting process, with Reese revealing their selection of potential actors is "a short, short list" and Wernick saying we should hear something in the near future:
"An announcement will be coming very soon. We're gonna go into production in the next couple of months and cast announcements will be coming fast and furious."
A long list of names have popped up as contenders to play Cable; Stephen Lang threw his hat in the ring early on, Reynolds teased Pierce Brosnan, the pre-Logan short seemed to nod towards Nathon Fillion, Russell Crowe recently sparked Twitter discussions and Stranger Things' David Harbour reportedly did a screen test. The only actor we can resolutely rule out is Michael Shannon, who was once in the running but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
Deadpool 2 is set to begin filming this summer, so that really puts a limit on when we'll get an announcement. On that note, it's interesting that the writer mentions other castings, hinting that we can expect a bigger cast of new characters beyond Domino and Cable.
In the interview, the writers also gave a taste of what exactly they were looking for with Cable, saying they want "someone with a great deadpan thing where they can react to someone who's being crazy" and also "physically imposing and able to emote", with Reese admitting "it's a tough one". Clearly this casting is being made with the primary purpose he'll be playing off of Reynolds' Deadpool, although there is also the awareness that they need someone "who can carry a franchise moving forward", with Wernick adding:
"They've got X-Force coming up. 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."
Their comments seem to hit all the core Cable-isms, so whoever they're debating between, it's hopeful they'll be as fitting as Reynolds is for the Merc with a Mouth. It's definitely reassuring that they're thinking long-term, hoping that Cable becomes as big a part of the sprawling X-Men franchise as his long-term partner.
Source: ComicBook.com
