In my opinion, learning movie trivia from the “what might have been” file can often be of the most intriguing variety. This type of stuff is especially prevalent in the superhero genre, as so many attempts at making films with these characters get scrapped or reworked before the finished product makes it to screen.
As it turns out, Deadpool 2 is not exempt from this category. In fact, the sequel starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth could’ve turned out much differently had the first flick’s director, Tim Miller, not left the project. And most fortunate for people like you and me, he’s coughed up some interesting factoids.
Perhaps the biggest bombshell dropped during Miller’s recent interview with The Playlist’s Fourth Wall podcast was that – get this – the Thing of Fantastic Four fame was originally supposed to fight Juggernaut. Not only that, but Fox actually gave him the green light to use the Thing character, so this wasn’t just something on a wishlist. Instead, we wound up with Colossus in his place, but at least the third act still turned out to be pretty cool.
Also of note was Miller revealing how Morena Baccarin’s character, Vanessa, was originally set to play a bigger role. In his vision, she would’ve gone on to become Copycat, someone with whom Marvel fans may have some familiarity. This is in stark contrast to her limited screentime in the finished product, though that may have had something to do with her Gotham shooting schedule.
When it comes to Cable, Miller really wanted to get someone who stood at an impressive 6’7” for the role, but not too many guys in Hollywood who are that tall spring to mind. Regardless, we can’t argue with Josh Brolin being chosen for Deadpool 2. At the very least, we were still treated to a very entertaining movie.
