With Deadpool 2 now in the works, rumors and speculations abound on which superheroes will be joining the Merc with a Mouth and the actors who will be playing them. The biggest discussion right now, of course, concerns gun-toting, time-travelling Cable, a role that several actors are already being considered, and even campaigned, for.

4. Stephen Lang

One look at Stephen Lang and you already understand why he’s on this list. His grey hair, age, and huge arms give him one of the strongest resemblances to the comic book character. Moreover, Lang has actually campaigned for the role by tweeting a pic of himself posing with his aforementioned arms:

Shakespeare:”CABLEs of perdurable toughness”. Slang: Just staying fit. Training another story. Let’s go! #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/cCZ2WTzPi9

"” Stephen Lang (@IAmStephenLang) February 14, 2016

Lang has shown how good he is at playing a tough badass as Colonel Miles Quatrich in Avatar. Though he might not have Cable’s ridiculous size and mass, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to put even more muscle if he ever lands the role.

2. Dolph Lundgren

Dolph Lundgren, the other guy Deadpool mentioned, is another 80s and 90s action star, who also appeared in the Expendables franchise. He’s certainly been “a big guy with a flat top” before, and since he’s been keeping up on his bodybuilding, he has the required muscular beefiness for the role. Moreover, he’s a black-belter and no stranger to doing action scenes.

Let’s not forget (though you probably had no idea) he’s already played a comic book character before: Frank Castle aka The Punisher. Here’s a trailer for the 1989 adaptation:

3. Keira Knightley

Of course, we can’t just dismiss Deadpool’s third suggestion for Cable. You have to agree that Keira Knightley does have range, and it’s not impossible for the sequel to throw a curveball like this.

While there’s very little chance of Knightley actually being cast as Cable, she has a better chance of being cast as Domino. Next to Cable, former mercenary and fellow X-Force member Neena Thurman is likeliest to appear in the sequel. The character was also created by Rob Liefeld and has a long history with Cable.

Plus, Keira Knightley has actually played a gun-toting character named Domino before:

4. Mel Gibson

If the first name on this list surprised you, it really shouldn’t. Mel Gibson was the first name Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool mentioned in the post-credits scene.

Oh! I can tell you one thing, and it's a bit of a secret. The sequel? We're gonna have Cable. Amazing character. Bionic arm, time travel! We have no idea who we're going to cast yet, but it could be anyone. Just need a big guy with a flat top. Mel Gibson, Dolph Lundgren, Keira Knightley? She's got range - who knows? Big secret, shhh.

Mel Gibson bulked up for Expendables 3, so we can already see that he qualifies as physically imposing. He’s done numerous action flicks, notably the Lethal Weapon series and the first three Mad Max films. From a physical standpoint and acting criteria, Gibson could pull it off, though it ain’t easy to imagine him with a bionic eye and metal arm.

However, considering the controversies plaguing him for the past decade, it’s safe to say Gibson is not anyone’s favorite.

5. Ron Perlman

Aside from being the right age and having the bulk to bring Cable to life, Ron Perlman has that gravitas the writers are looking for. He would make a great contrast to the excited, almost manic sense of humor of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool.

Like Lang, he has expressed interest in playing Cable, taking to social media to share it:

Perlman has already starred in a comic book adaptation in the Hellboy movies, and he’s also brought his unique voice to several animated series characters, such as Slade in Teen Titans, Sinestro in Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Clayface in Batman: The Animated Series.

6. Jon Hamm

Yes! Jon Hamm, Dream Future Cable pick, wins for Mad Men! pic.twitter.com/WDXqlTNkId

"” robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) January 11, 2016

Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld has already stated that Jon Hamm is his personal favorite to play Cable in the sequel. Hamm is an outstanding actor, who’s received numerous awards for Mad Men, and fans have been fantasy-casting him for numerous superhero movie roles for years.

So far Hamm has avoided doing any superhero movies and has turned down a number of offers, as he apparently feels a bit too old for the genre. However, Cable looks like a good fit as he’s notably one of Marvel’s older-looking characters.

7. Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Governator has shown that you can’t count him out of action flicks yet with his string of recent movies. You can already see how he’s got that big-guy, flat-top look down pat in Terminator: Genisys, and of course we shouldn’t have to mention that he’s both already sported the bionic eye and metal arm look, as well as travelled through time. Deadpool would have some fun breaking the fourth wall with that meta-humor.

8. Morena Baccarin

While Morena Baccarin seems like a sure thing for the sequel given the first film’s happy ending, there’s still no confirmation that she’ll be reprising the role. The interesting part, though, is that if she does return to play Vanessa Carlysle, we may finally get to see her superpowered persona, the mutant shapeshifter Copycat.

Comic book fans were probably disappointed that this was cut from the movie, likely due to budget and story reasons, but the sequel can now explore this aspect of her character. Copycat also has an interesting connection with Domino, as she first appeared disguised as the latter in the comics.

9. Blake Lively

This is probably the most shocking item on this list, since Blake Lively is Ryan Reynolds’s wife and they’ve both appeared in the disastrous Green Lantern movie. There are rumors that Lively may become Wade Wilson’s new love interest in Deadpool 2, especially after she confessed that she isn’t comfortable seeing her husband in love scenes for everyone to see. "Having your husband having mashed potatoes eaten out of his butthole, because that's in the film, is lovely. It's a cruel and unusual form of torture," says Lively.

While this may just be unsubstantiated rumor fueled by that statement, it might still happen, since it’s Deadpool we’re talking about.

10. Hugh Jackman

Deadpool had such a lot of fun with Hugh Jackman jokes in the first movie that it’s not impossible for the Wolverine star to finally appear in the sequel. It just seems right for the two to appear together (again), especially since Wolverine 3 is Jackman’s last outing as Logan.

Wolverine, Deadpool, and Cable all make good connections in movies, since the first two are unnaturally long-lived while the latter is from the future, and in the comics, as they were all members of X-Force. Alternatively, Wolverine 3 could feature Deadpool since it’s set in the future, and the Merc should still be around.

 

Which actors are you looking forward to seeing in Deadpool 2? Let us know in the comments!