Since the beginning of the year, there's been a lot of speculation on who could play Cable in Deadpool 2. For those who are unfamiliar with the character, he's got a convoluted backstory that involves time travel, but for the purposes of Deadpool, he's a solid foil.  While Deadpool is fun and silly, Cable is a gruff, no-nonsense foil, and that makes for a fun pairing in the comics.

While names likes David Harbour (Stranger Things), Michael Shannon, and even Brad Pitt were rumored to play the role, THR reports that the part has gone to Josh Brolin. Additionally, sources say that Brolin has got a four-picture deal for the part including Deadpool 2. This means that Brolin is locked down for the likely X-Force movie as well as a Cable solo film if people like the character.

It’s a good move for both the actor and the studio. For Brolin, he gets in deeper with a long-term franchise. He’s already playing Thanos, but given how Marvel likes to quickly dispose of their villains, I wouldn’t expect that character to survive past Avengers 4. With Cable, he’s got a fun character who has room to grow. Additionally, Brolin is a solid actor and it’s easy to see him take on the hard-bitten Cable. He’s also got outstanding comic timing, so he should play off Ryan Reynolds fairly well.

No release date has been announced yet for Deadpool 2, but production is expected to begin in June in Vancouver. Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) has already signed on to co-star as Domino. David Leitch (John Wick) will direct from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Brolin will be seen later this year in Joseph Kosinksi’s Granite Mountain as well as George Clooney’s Suburbicon. He’s also attached to star opposite Benicio del Toro in the Sicario sequel Soldado. He’ll be seen next year beating up superheroes in Avengers: Infinity War.

What do you think of casting Brolin as Cable? Is there someone else you’d wish had gotten the role? Sound off in the comments section.

UPDATE: Ryan Reynolds has confirmed Brolin's casting on twitter.

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