Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy Say They Tried to Get Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

In the latest Marvel blockbuster, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, a concept artist named Rodney Fuentebella shared a glimpse of what could have been an epic fight scene featuring a horde of Deadpool variants battling it out with some familiar faces.

The early illustration included everyone from Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson to Hugh Jackman’s Logan, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, and even Jennifer Garner’s Elektra.

Notably, Chris Evans reappeared as Johnny Storm, alongside appearances by Ben Affleck as Daredevil and Nicolas Cage as Ghost Rider.

Director Shawn Levy, along with Reynolds and Jackman, discussed the film’s development on the Entertainment Weekly’s Awardist podcast.

They explored the potential of including Cage, but despite efforts, he was unavailable for the role.

Reynolds, who also contributed as a writer and executive producer, shared that early drafts featured both Cage and Affleck.

However, adjustments were necessary to manage the film’s budget responsibly, focusing on creativity within financial constraints.

Reynolds expressed disappointment over not securing Cage for the movie, stating, ‘We did talk to Nic Cage. We tried to get him, but he was a no-go…. I would’ve loved him.’

The roster of characters drawn from 20th Century Fox’s pool of Marvel heroes, now part of Walt Disney Company’s 20th Century Studios, included others who did agree to join.

These were Henry Cavill as a Wolverine variant, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Dafne Keen as X-23/Laura. Levy credited Reynolds’ direct approach, noting how he often made surprise FaceTime calls to rope actors in.

Separately, Cage recently dipped back into superhero cinema with a cameo as Superman in DC’s ‘The Flash’, directed by Andy Muschietti.

Here, Cage portrayed an alternate-reality Superman, a role initially meant for the cancelled ‘Superman Lives’.

Ultimately, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ has soared to new heights, becoming the top-grossing R-rated film ever, fueled by the star power of Reynolds and Jackman’s first on-screen partnership since 2009’s ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ and the full integration of these mutants into the MCU.

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