Barring the clichéd story of one costumed crusader rushing to save the damsel in distress, Tim Miller’s Deadpool movie was, for many, a gleefully profane introduction to the Merc With a Mouth, and the film’s impressive $783 million box office haul meant 20th Century Fox wasted no time in greenlighting a sequel. And so, we stand on the verge of Deadpool 2.
Gone is Tim Miller, who parted ways with Fox in order to helm a sixth instalment in The Terminator franchise. In his stead, the studio turned to David Leitch, director of John Wick: Chapter 2 and Atomic Blonde, a potent cocktail of Cold War espionage and kick-ass fight scenes.
It’s an exciting addition to the team, then, and while discussing the role of Cable (AKA Nathan Summers) in a recent interview with Collider, Infinity War‘s Josh Brolin drew attention to David Leitch and his action sensibilities.
In fact, this is the same interview in which Brolin teased his four-picture deal, along with the rigorous training regime he underwent to become Cable. And that’s before you even consider those long hours spent in the makeup chair.
Per Collider:
I had heard somewhere along the line, and I think it’s okay for me to say this, but I heard somewhere along the line that they felt the first Deadpool didn’t have enough action. […] With this movie, it’s just a different deal. He embraces what he’s very good at, which I think is very smart. There’s ton of action in it. The tease is, a guy who’s 49 years old on the cusp of 50 who got in the best shape of his life, especially exteriorly, and I was extremely disciplined throughout that whole thing. I got beat to shit on that movie. That’s all I know. I had stuntmen throwing me all over the place.
Deadpool 2 is just one of many big-name comic book properties lining Fox’s slate, as it’ll be bookended by X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants in 2018. Further afield, an X-Force ensemble movie is in the works from Drew Goddard, while there’s also the newly-announced Logan spinoff to consider, which is poised to cast the spotlight on Dafne Keen’s X-23.