Could Deadpool 2 have finally found its Cable? According to a report coming from the folks at The Wrap, Stranger Things’ own Sheriff Jim Hopper, actor David Harbour, could be playing the cyborg mutant solider from the future. This is after reports as early as this week said that none other than Russell Crowe wanted the role (you’re already Jor-El in the DCEU dude, don’t hog all the comic book roles) and earlier reports that said Pierce Brosnan and Don’t Breathe actor Stephen Lang were up for the role as well. Apparently another Man of Steel actor, Michael Shannon, was also up for the part, but scheduling conflicts prevented talks from going too far.
David Harbour isn’t the first person one might think of to play Nathan Summers (Cable’s real name, because he’s the son of X-Men Scott Summers and Jean Grey after all. Don’t expect that to come up in Deadpool 2 though). But if you were to just look at his work on Stranger Things, the roles of Sheriff Hopper and that of Cable are not that vastly different. Sheriff Jim Hopper has had a fairly big tragedy in his life, one that has left him grizzled and kind of “over it” all. He ends up finding himself again by connecting to a group of young people and helping them in their plight. Sounds kind of like Cable in the comics actually, so this might be a perfect casting.
Also, there are the physical attributes as well. Cable is almost always drawn in the comics as being physically bigger than Deadpool. But when your Deadpool actor is Ryan Reynolds, who is 6’2, it’s hard to find an actor who is imposing next to that guy. Luckily, David Harbour is 6’3 and built like a tank, so you have that as a positive as well. Now Cable doesn’t have to be bigger than Deadpool, because as comics fans know, Wolverine was a little short dude in the comics, and Hugh Jackman is anything but. And we all got over it pretty fast. But the actor playing Cable being a bigger, linebacker type could only help him in securing the role.
Whoever gets the part of Cable will probably be in this part for the long haul, as not only is the character supposed to show up in the Deadpool sequel, but he’ll be headlining the eventual X-Force movie as well. And if that takes off, the idea of a Cable solo film is anything but out of the question. Although Cable is usually portrayed as being older than the 41- year old Harbour, if this is a part that could last as long as ten or more years, they are going to want to cast an actor who isn’t too long in the tooth to play the physically demanding role for some time, but also has the gravitas to play an older character. David Harbour certainly has the grizzled “angry grandpa” voice down. Come to think of it, I can’t think of any reasons why David Harbour wouldn’t be perfect in the role.
What do you guys think of David Harbour potentially playing Cable? Do you agree with us that he’s perfect, or do you have other ideas? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.
Images: Netflix / Marvel Comics
