Deadpool 2 lost director Tim Miller, but the sequel is in good hands with David Leitch at the helm (he already had the opportunity to direct Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in the Logan prologue). Of course, this is Leitch’s first turn as a director; he was uncredited for the first John Wick movie and his debut this year with Atomic Blonde. But the same was true of Tim Miller, who made his debut with Deadpool.

Speaking with Comic Book and JoBlo at CinemaCon, Leitch addressed the rumors about who will play Cable in the sequel. Obviously, he talked about Brad Pitt, who is rumored to have actually met with the studio execs, as well as Michael Shannon, who is reportedly the frontrunner for the role.

The director confirmed that the Brad Pitt meeting took place, and added that the actor was interested in the role. Ultimately, his full schedule kept him from signing on (we assume that the studio wanted him to sign a multi-picture deal, which put an end to Pitt's interest).

We had a great meeting with Brad, he was incredibly interested in the property. Things didn’t work out schedule-wise. He’s a fan, and we love him, and I think he would’ve made an amazing Cable.

Leitch didn't say whether Michael Shannon is the frontrunner for the role. He did say that he’s a fan, and that he would be extremely pleased if the Man of Steel actor were to play Cable:

You know, I think, Michael Shannon, that name speaks for itself, he's an incredible actor and he can accomplish anything. Yeah, I'm passionate about him as an actor, and, look, he would make an incredible Cable. If that happens, I would be through the roof that I get to work with another incredible actor. I can't say that it's going to happen, because we're looking - the list is what the list is. But, yeah, I have nothing but great things to say about him, and I'm a huge, huge fan.