There’s been a number of great candidates to play dystopic alternate future leader of the X-Men Cable in Deadpool 2, but two have really stood out: Ron Perlman and Stephen Lang. Perlman went on a Facebook tear recently, using fan photoshops to pointing out how perfect he’d be to play Cable. And Stephen Lang, best known as Colonel Quaritch from Avatar, also let it be known that he’d love the role.
Sadly, it sounds like Lang is pulling himself out of the running due to potential scheduling issues between Deadpool 2 and James Cameron’s many sequels to Avatar that are finally set to start filming soon. Here’s what he told CinemaBlend recently:
“I think it’s highly unlikely that they would ever give me the part, for a number of reasons, one of which being that it’s the same studio as Avatar. It’s a conceivable it would be a scheduling conflict, but you know, what I’ve said is that if they did give me the part, they’d be very satisfied – because I’ll play the hell out of the part. But if they don’t give me the part, then I can be magnanimous in defeat, compliment the actor who does get the part, and console myself with four sequels to Avatar.”
I’m still a bit confused as to how Lang is supposed to play Colonel Quaritch in four Avatar movies considering Quaritch took two giant Na’avi arrows right to the chest, but all signs point to him and Sigourney Weaver (who Quaritch shot dead) both returning from the grave. Maybe the Na’avi have figured out the technology humans used in the first Avatar will now be creepily piloting brainless clones played by Lang and Weaver around, perhaps intermingling and eventually mating with other humans.
Whatever the case, Lang is probably right: the studio probably doesn’t want to chance bringing him on to another franchise when Avatar and James Cameron’s famous grueling schedules will be keeping him plenty busy for the next several years. That’s good news for Ron Perlman and the rest of the actors out there angling to get in on the superhero money train, especially attached to a series as successful as Deadpool.
(Via CinemaBlend)
