Ryan Reynolds Explains Ghost Rider Absence in Deadpool & Wolverine

It turns out that Nicolas Cage was almost in Deadpool & Wolverine. They went very far, and it turned out that there was almost an appearance of Ghost Rider.

Apparently, he just didn’t want to. Nicholas Cage is a huge comic fan, and so it’s strange to think of him not wanting to be in a comic book movie. Concept artist Rodney Fuentebella released an early illustration that showed a potential fight scene with the Deadpool Corps. fighting Wade Wilson and Wolverine. The illustration included characters like Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm, Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, and Nicholas Cage’s Ghost Rider. It was perfect fan service.

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Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy discussed the potential appearance in the EW’s podcast. “They were in early drafts,” Reynolds said, as he explained why big names like Affleck and others weren’t in the movies, “We had versions of that [sequence], but then as it shook out, you’re sort of looking… We’re trying to make the movie responsibly, as well. It’s a big budget. It’s the biggest budget of any of the Deadpool movies, but you want to give yourself as much constraint, which really I think facilitates asymmetrical thinking and creativity. If you have too much time or too much money, it usually murders that kind of creativity. So, yeah, you’re shrinking things.”

Cage’s potential appearance as Ghost Rider was not the only scrapped scene. The movie would have also included Ben Affleck as Daredevil. While neither of the actors made it into the film, others did. However, as Reynolds reveals, “… we did talk to Nic Cage. We tried to get him, but he was a no-go…. I would’ve loved him.” So it could have been a money thing, or maybe Cage was busy with his Spider-Man Noire work.

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There’s probably plenty of reasons, but we didn’t get one in this interview. Either way, the film did well and will be available on Disney+ on November 12, 2024.