Hello everybody, Donlinedude here.
So as if X-Men: Days of Future Past wasn't enough for us X-fans to get "x-cited" about, it seems that an X-Force film has been all but confirmed to be in development, with Kick Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow assigned to write the movie and Lauren Shuler Donner producing.
The way I see it, X-Force seems to be an attempt by 20th Century Fox to match what Marvel Studios are doing with next years Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel have been pushing the idea of Guardians being an anti-hero movie and, given the nature of several of the members in the comics, X-Force would certainly match up with that.
Just to clarify, I haven't read much X-Force apart from the first two arcs of Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force, and the more recent Cable & X-Force. I've enjoyed both (Uncanny a little more to be honest) and I'm certainly looking forward to this film. Though it's unlikely the studio will go this route, I think perhaps this should be a darker spin-off intended more for adults, especially since in Remender's X-Force the team is put together specifically to do what the X-Men cannot, like assassination for instance.
Moving onto the roster. Mark Millar, whose recently become the creative consultant on the X-Men films, has said that there will be five members on the team, which makes a Top 5 list all the more relevant in my opinion. The criteria for this list will be anti-hero. The heroes I have chosen have to have operated as either thieves or assassins in the comics, or at least be willing to kill.
As much as I love him, Wolverine won't be included on this list. Despite being a member of X-Force during Remender's run and Crag Kyle & Christopher Yost's before that, the big-screen version of the team needs to stand on it's own, separate from the other teams (until they decide to do another crossover film) and that means none of the main X-Men characters, which of course, includes Wolverine. Plus, Hugh Jackman recently announced that he's taking a break from acting. But anyway, enough chit-chat, let's start the list...No. 5: Warpath
I know very little about Warpath save for rudimentary research via Wikipedia, but since he was a founding member of X-Force, along with his rather interesting Super-Soldier-like mutation, he'd be a pretty safe bet for an X-Force film. After all, every team needs the mostly serious strongman. He even carries twin knives like Drax the Destroyer, which is even funnier considering the comparison I just made to Guardians.
Despite my lack of familiarity with Warpath, that looks set to change since the character has been confirmed to appear in Days of Future Past. Considering the immense ensemble cast that movie already has, a new addition like Warpath is certainly questionable, or is it? Perhaps Warpath is there to set up the X-Force movie in a post-credits scene? Whether or not that's true, I'm pretty sure that we'll see Warpath in X-Force.
No. 4: Domino
The X-Men franchise certainly isn't lacking when it comes to strong female characters, but Domino is probably the most synonymous with X-Force out of all of them. Assuming the plan is for a darker, grittier movie then Domino fits the bill since she has quite a tough exterior. She'd also function well as the sole woman on the team due to her flirtatious personality.
When it comes to casting Domino, I think Dredd's Lena Heady would be a good choice, I can certainly see a resemblance between the two and Headey could defintely bring the tough-as nails Domino to life. With Black Widow & Gamora setting the trend for tough and complex female characters, Domino is all the more likely to have a spot on X-Force.
No. 3: Gambit
I know what you're thinking. Yes, Gambit has never been a member of X-Force in the comics, but it's not exactly new for superhero movies to mix things up a little, Mystique was never an original X-Man, but that didn't stop First Class, and thank goodness. Gambit's dry, streetwise attitude would be a good match for the tone of X-Force. He could be like Captain Kirk in Star Trek, flirting constantly with Domino who'll wind up with someone else (I wonder who that could be?).
Casting wise, Taylor Kitsch gave a pretty good turn as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Let's face it, the performances were the best thing about that movie.) so it's only fair that he reprise his role here. What's that you say? Gambit can't be in this movie because Origins takes place in the seventies and eighties? Well there's two options to get around further convoluting this already jumbled timeline. Gambit could be recruited from that period and then brought to the present via time travel, or we could take another step towards retconning Origins out of existence and just say Gambit's in the present. How could Gambit time travel to the present you ask? Well, maybe with a little help from...
No. 2: Cable
Let's face it, Cable is a stalwart of X-Force, as well as a fan favourite. It would be a huge surprise if he didn't have a starring role in the film. I mentioned before that Warpath could be in Days of Future Past to set up X-Force in a post credits scene, and if that's true then Cable will likely appear too. It's a logical step to introduce a character like Nate Summers after the time travel shenanigans in Days.
Since X-Force is likely to be an anti-hero film, morality would be a good theme for the movie. Cable would definitely be at the centre of that, especially if the plot involved him travelling back in time with the intention of killing someone in order to change the future. Also, the more enigmatic Cable is, the better. The team could question whether or not he can be trusted which would add a nice layer of tension to the proceedings. Obviously some of Cable's backstory would need to be layed out as the film progresses, though if they do still have him as Cyclops' son, then they should probably leave that out until Scott returns to life in the X-films.
Avatar's Stephen Lang has expressed interest in playing Cable, and while I think he looks the part and would give a good performance, I doubt he'll be cast since the producers will want an actor who'll be able to commit to playing Nate for multiple movies. Personally, I think Josh Brolin would be a good pick for Cable. He also looks and sounds the part. Regardless of whose cast, Cable needs that "man of few words" personality to remain intact. It's one of many reasons the character has such a cult following.
Honourable Mention: X-23
If I could pick any other woman to join X-Force, then this would be the one. It would be great to see X-23 on this team, but since she hasn't been properly established in the X-Men "movie-verse" it would be highly unlikely if she appeared and that's why she just misses out on the top five. Perhaps she could be in the sequel, assuming she's set up in the next X-Men or Wolverine film.
Since she's a clone of Wolverine, the ideal actress to play X-23 would have to be someone who can accurately portray an aggressive, and sometimes feral, character. The producers would likely cast an unknown actress in the role, but just in case they think otherwise, I reckon Chloe Grace Moretz would be a good choice down the line...
No. 1: Deadpool
Now some X-Force fans might be annoyed that I'm ranking Deadpool above Cable, but as a Deadpool fan, I had to put him top of the list. Deadpool is closely tied to X-Force, he first appeared in an issue of the series as an antagonist and later joined the Uncanny X-Force iteration of the team, with Remender giving us a more toned down Deadpool who was still very funny. He deserves to be here as much as Cable does, some of the film's focus could be on the dynamic between the two, as a nod to the Cable & Deadpool series. The fans would certainly eat that up.
This would also be a great way to set up the Deadpool film that Fox keep throwing around but never seems to actually get greenlit. Remender's Deadpool would be a good decision for this movie from a storytelling perspective. If Wade was constantly breaking the fourth wall during the movie, viewers wouldn't be able to take it seriously.
This would also be a great way to set up the Deadpool film that Fox keep throwing around but never seems to actually get greenlit. Remender's Deadpool would be a good decision for this movie from a storytelling perspective. If Wade was constantly breaking the fourth wall during the movie, viewers wouldn't be able to take it seriously.
Ryan Reynolds would have to return as the Merc with a Mouth. Considering that he's been attached to the Deadpool movie for over four years now, it's pretty safe to say he's dedicated to the role, and it would be nice to see him play the actual Deadpool this time. He's got the right kind of voice and energy for the character, and as long as Wadlow feeds him some funny gags, I'm confident he'll prove to be a show stealer.
Co-creator Rob Liefield has said that Cable & Deadpool WILL be in the X-Force movie, and given the popularity of the two, there isn't much reason to argue otherwise. I just hope Deadpool in particular is done right. The last thing we all want is a repeat of Baraka-Pool!
