Deadpool Is Recasting This Key X-Men Character

When the Deadpool script leaked out a few years back, one detail that wound up getting a lot of attention was the fact that the story included a role for the Russian mutant known as Colossus. As a result of this, many people just assumed that this would mean that Daniel Cudmore would eventually wind up being cast in the film, as he played Colossus in X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand and, most recently, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Sadly, however, it appears that Cudmore actually won't be appearing in the new X-Men universe film, and instead it appears that the role is going to be recast.

This sad bit of news actually comes from Daniel Cudmore himself, who took to his Twitter today to announce that he would not be starring in director Tim Miller's Deadpool movie, which is set to star Ryan Reynolds in the titular role. The actor posted this news in a pair of Tweets, writing:

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While Deadpool unquestionably remains one of my most anticipated films coming to theaters in the next 12 months, I must admit that this news of Daniel Cudmore's exclusion really bums me out. As I wrote in an editorial earlier this week, one of the key reasons to even include the character Colossus in the Deadpool movie is the fact that he gives the film a strong tie to the rest of the X-Men films, while also allowing it to exist separately and cover its own new ground. Obviously if Colossus is still in the movie there does still exist a connection to the previous franchise installments, but the bond would have been so much stronger if the character were being played by the same actor who first brought him to life.

The reason behind this recasting is a mystery at this point, but if I had to put out a guess, it would be one of two things. Either the filmmakers are looking to cast an actor who could play younger Colossus - differentiating the age of the character in Deadpool vs. X-Men: Days of Future Past - or the production wants a more high profile name. The latter makes a lot of sense if Colossus is going to play a key role in Deadpool, as it would allow him to be better utilized in the movie's marketing - similar to how Liev Schreiber came in to replace Tyler Mane as Sabertooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

What do you think about this news? Who do you think should play the new Colossus in the X-Men universe? Hit the comments below with your thoughts.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.