From co-directing the pulse-pounding John Wick and seamlessly transitioning to headlining major projects like Deadpool 2, David Leitch’s trajectory in the film is nothing short of remarkable. Playing Brad Pitt’s stunt double in a number of movies, including Fight Club, Leitch began his career in Hollywood as a stunt and fight coordinator.
Needless to say, his enlightening journey with his producer wife, Kelly McCormick, is just as enchanting as the films they make. Not so recently, when the dynamic duo spilled the beans about the casting experience of Deadpool 2, including the role that Brad Pitt almost graced, we got a rare glimpse into the ‘what-ifs’.
In a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Leitch and McCormick admitted the fact that Pitt nearly played the role of Cable in Deadpool 2.
Insights from Deadpool 2 Director: From ‘X-Force’ Meeting to Brad Pitt as Cable
In a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Deadpool 2 director David Leitch and producer Kelly McCormick discussed their casting choices and the role Brad Pitt almost took on. The pair revealed that Leitch initially had plans for a different film in the Deadpool franchise, possibly “X-Force story” or the third Deadpool flick.
Nevertheless, The Fall Guy director ended up helming Deadpool 2 and thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Reynolds on the sarcastic comedy. McCormick revealed:
“The funny story is that David actually met with Ryan over getting to do a mutant—‘X-Force’ story and their first movie was about the next movie, and directing X-Force. And it turns out it turned out maybe to just be an audition for ‘Deadpool 2,’ so then you had already gotten [Ryan] hooked, and they fell in love with one another in this meeting…”
Another intriguing tidbit revealed during the interview was Leitch’s attempt to cast Brad Pitt in the role of Cable, which ultimately went to Josh Brolin. Leitch and Reynolds pitched the role to Pitt, even creating concept art for the character. The Hobbs & Shaw director, 48, further admitted:
“Yeah, we went to pitch Brad, Ryan, and I. And we had concept art.”
Meanwhile, McCormick added:
“He [Pitt] was intrigued. He looks cool as Cable, the concept art was awesome.”
Despite being “intrigued”, Pitt was unable to accept the role due to scheduling conflicts. As a result, he only made a brief appearance in the movie as the Vanisher.
“Because he, like he had entertained it for a bit, but schedules wouldn’t allow it to happen, so he came in and did the cameo for fun.”
Pitt’s “intrigued” response to playing Cable raises the possibility that the acclaimed actor could eventually make his MCU debut in the years to come.
Deadpool Co-Creator Confirmed Brad Pitt’s Deadpool 2 Casting
The co-creator of Deadpool, Rob Liefeld, also verified a long-running rumor that, prior to Josh Brolin being cast, Brad Pitt was supposed to play Cable in Deadpool 2.
The comic book writer and artist, in an interview with ComicBook, gave an explanation for why the A-list actor ended up starring in the well-received Deadpool sequel as Vanisher rather than Cable:
“I know for 100% fact that was true. 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 on. So when they knew they weren’t going in that direction, they went down several others.”
Deadpool 2, which was released in 2018, centers on Ryan Reynolds’ character, the Merc with a Mouth, as he organizes the X-Force to defend young mutant Russell Collins/Firefist (Julian Dennison) from Cable. The movie was a commercial and critical success, grossing $785.8 million worldwide against a $110 million budget (Box Office Mojo).
The third entry in the franchise, titled Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is slated for release on July 26, 2024. Under Shawn Levy’s direction, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen also feature in the movie.
Stream the first two Deadpool flicks on Disney+.
