For many, it's hard to imagine anyone but Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool. According to The Winchesters' Jensen Ackles, however, there was a time when 20th Century Fox (now Disney's 20th Century Studios) considered him for the Merc with a Mouth.
"There was definitely a movie that I was very much in talks about," Ackles said at the Salute to Supernatural convention in Phoenix, ARI. "I wasn't available, so the train just kind of stopped there. But, had I been available, I would've had to, you know, jump through the studio hoops and jump through the, you know, producer hoops and stuff. But I had a really good shot, and it's a movie that I really, really like." When asked by the audience what the project was, Ackles replied, "Deadpool." The actor then joked that not getting the role was likely for the best. "It was probably a good thing because my ex-girlfriend was on there and so that probably would have been awkward, so it probably worked out for the best."
Though watching Deadpool is now bittersweet for Ackles, he has no hard feelings about not landing the lead role. "I think that whole cast was amazing," he said before jokingly adding, "I probably would've messed that up for a lot of people had I been a part of it, so probably best that I didn't. But, ugh, that would've been cool." Deadpool 3 is currently in pre-production under the stewardship of Shawn Levy (Real Steel, Free Guy, The Adam Project), with Ryan Reynolds returning alongside Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
Ackles' Super-powered History
Deadpool notwithstanding, Ackles is no stranger to the superhero genre. Before securing his most recognizable role as Supernatural's Dean Winchester, the actor played Jason Teague on Smallville season 4. He originally auditioned for Clark Kent in the WB/CW series before Tom Welling was cast. In animation, Ackles has provided the voice for Jason Todd/Red Hood and Bruce Wayne/Batman in the animated films Batman: Under the Red Hood and Batman the Long Halloween, Parts One and Two, respectively. It was recently announced that Ackles will return to voice the latter in a Legion of Super-Heroes animated film that is expected sometime in 2023. The actor has also expressed interest in donning the Dark Knight's iconic cape and cowl in live-action.
Back at Marvel, Ackles auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America before Chris Evans nabbed the part and was also up for Clint Barton/Hawkeye before that went to Jeremy Renner. Ackles got the chance to wield a Captain America-esque shield of his own when he appeared as Soldier Boy in the third season of The Boys earlier this year. The actor will reprise the role in the hit Amazon series' upcoming fourth season, which is currently in production, though no release date has been set.
Meanwhile, fans can get their fix of Ackles in The Winchesters, which he narrates. The series airs Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET on The CW.
Source: YouTube