Not only is actor Josh Brolin the man behind Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but he will also co-star in Deadpool 2 as Cable. That makes it easy to forget the actor once starred in a superhero movie that was a complete flop: Jonah Hex. His experience with that film was so bad that Brolin almost swore off superhero movies completely.
Jonah Hex released in 2010 and told the story of a disfigured bounty hunter in the Wild West. Based on the comic book series of the same name, the movie also starred Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Michael Shannon and Wes Bentley. But fans and critics just didn't think the movie was that good. It only got a 12 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also failed miserably at the box office and was even called the worst movie of the year by many, earning Raspberry awards for its stars.
Related: Is Deadpool 2 In Any Way Suitable For Children?
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Brolin admitted that his experience with Jonah Hex nearly turned him off from ever doing a superhero movie again.
"Well, you know what, I mean, a good story is a good story and I never told myself... I agree with you. I was kind of the same way. I was like, I just don't see that, you know, and I like doing these other types of movies and whatever that means, and we kind of dipped our fingers into Jonah Hex and that didn't turn out so well. So I was like, you know, I had an intention for that movie and I didn't reach it."
But things changed when Marvel's Kevin Feige approached Brolin about appearing in Avengers: Infinity War. And it all comes down to a good story, which is something most would agree that the Jonah Hex film just didn't really have.
"So I kind of stayed away from that thing but you know, there's something that happens when you have the opportunity, first when Kevin Fiege is talking to you, and from a really like [as] a fan, you know, base point of view and he's saying, 'We thought of this great story and we always saw you doing it.' And it's not the compliments necessarily, but it's like all the Avengers against you."
Then Brolin decided he also wanted to play Cable in Deadpool 2, too. He spoke about his love for Ryan Reynolds and how he just couldn't turn down the role.
"I love doing, I love the result, and then Deadpool happened in the middle of that and I was like, I've already decided to do that, but I got a thing for Ryan (Reynolds), man, you know, he's just a, I think he's a really smart guy. He created a tone that was really unique and I just said, yeah, why not? Let's do it."
Brolin mentioned previously about how seeing Reynolds in the romantic comedy The Proposal was one of the biggest reasons he agreed to play Cable in Deadpool 2. Brolin has nothing but love and respect for the actor behind the Merc with a Mouth. He even told Reynolds that he had a "kind of a crush" on him.
Whatever his reasons, though, it seems like both decisions paid off for Brolin. Avengers: Infinity War is one of the biggest movies of all time and continues to break box office records all over the world, a success that doesn't seem as if it might stop anytime soon. And Deadpool 2 is already on track to make $350 million worldwide on its opening weekend,
Marvel fans are eternally grateful for Brolin's change of heart. It's easy to forget Jonah Hex anyway, and its failure was certainly not due to the actor's lack of talent. Fans will now get to see much more of Brolin in superhero movies, too.
Be sure to keep an eye on Screen Rant this week for the full interview.
