Thomas Roach with five actors who could play Deadpool instead of Ryan Reynolds….
The long awaited Deadpool movie has been greenlit and now has a release date of February 12th, 2016. It will likely go into production in the next few months but as yet there is still no confirmation that actor Ryan Reynolds, who played the character of Deadpool/Wade Wilson, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, will reprise his role.
The actor was involved with shooting test footage which was released in July which was praised by fans. Many people liked the footage and liked what Reynolds had done with the character in under two minutes. It is highly likely that Reynolds will be involved in the film but some people still question his casting.
I’ll admit I was not happy with how the character turned out in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but seeing Reynolds in the test footage gave me more faith in him to play the character correctly. However, there are other actors I could see playing the role, so here are five I think could play Deadpool instead of Ryan Reynolds…
Woody Harrelson
After watching Woody Harrelson in Zombieland I thought that he would be the perfect actor to play the Merc with a Mouth. I am aware of his age and that does not bother me at all. Studios tend to give these the roles of heroes to young actors which is understandable as they want them to play he character for many years. I do think that Harrelson is a great actor and could play the character really well.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is incredibly popular and has so much energy as a performer. Many fans of Deadpool have dropped Carrey’s name before to play the character and it is not hard to see why. Carrey has played his fair share of insane characters but even his appearance on talk shows and in interviews shows how manic he can be. Even this is nothing more than a performance and not part of his personality he can pull it off really well. Seeing him on the big screen as Deadpool would be a godsend to many fans.
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper has showed everyone that he has great range as an actor over the years. Coming to most peoples attention from his role in The Hangover and getting nominated for Oscars for American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook, he has showed us what he is capable of. Personally I think his personality would fit with Deadpool really well and I would love to see him play the character. Interestingly he was actually the first choice to play the Green Lantern in the movie of the same name but dropped out, before actor Ryan Reynolds replaced him.
Simon Pegg
People will be split on this one. Whilst Simon Pegg isn’t a go to guy for action he has done his fair share of action roles; having been in Star Trek and Mission: Impossible he could surely lead a Deadpool movie? Pegg is also known well for his comedic roles in films such as Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Pegg would be able to deliver the wit and humour that the character of Deadpool displays so well. Also maybe get Edgar Wright on board to direct a Deadpool movie? That would stick it to Marvel surely?
Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce has played another Marvel character Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3 but because Deadpool is made by a different studio casting an actor who has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t matter. Guy Pearce has showed a great deal of range as an actor over his career. In Lawless he played an the psychopathic villain really well. I think after seeing his performance in that film amongst other roles he would play a great Deadpool on the big screen.
Honourable Mention – Nolan North
Many people will ask who? Well if you are a fan of video games you will likely know Nolan North, and if you don’t recognise his face you will recognise his voice. He was the voice of Nathan Drake in Uncharted, Desmond Miles in Assassin’s Creed and has featured in many more including The Last Of Us, Sly Cooper, God of War, Guild Wars, Arkham City and too many others to list. North has also voiced Deadpool in a video game and on several occasions in animated series and films.
The great thing is that his previous times playing the character have only been the voice, yet he portrays the character so well. Nolan North truly is a skilled voice actor and many fans already know him as this character. North has also done a lot of motion capture for video games and if the Deadpool movie was done using motion capture like the test footage was, then surely North would be a great choice to play the character?
Would you like to see any of these actors play Deadpool instead of Ryan Reynolds, or who do you think would make a good fit? Let us know…
Thomas Roach
Originally published September 24, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
