Josh Brolin Talks Potential Thanos Comeback in AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY and Why He’s Fine Turning Down LANTERNS
While Marvel fans are gearing up for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, Josh Brolin is open to putting on the motion-capture suit again if Marvel gives him the call to return as Thanos, especially if it comes from the Russo Brothers.
In a recent chat with Josh Horowitz, Brolin shared his thoughts on revisiting the role of the Mad Titan and offered a bit of insight into why he passed on playing Hal Jordan in DC Studios’ Lanterns series.
Talking about what made Avengers such a compelling and rewarding experience, Brolin said,
"There's a level of absurdity that I enjoy so much...I've said it a million times, but it goes back to black box theatre, where you have no money and you're pretending that this thing is a gun.
“If you have enough conviction, people will actually start to think it's a gun. There was a level of that in [Avengers]."
He also opened up about how Thanos started off as a small cameo and turned into a franchise-defining villain.
"They were afraid it was gonna get out, so they would give us a phoney scene and then give us the real scene when we'd get there, which, to me, is hell. I can't prep, I'm thinking about the lines, and all this stuff, but it all worked out.
“That was supposed to be a cameo. When it was first brought to me, I was doing the Everest movie in London, and they brought me this huge bible, and it was just this little thing, and I'd be in it for 10 minutes. They changed it. It turned into this whole thing."
So would he do it again? Absolutely.
"Deadpool 2, I was like, I was glad it was one experience. The Thanos thing, if they called me in London right now, and said, 'Let's do this,' I'd be like, 'I'll be there tomorrow.’
“I talk to Downey probably four to six times a year. I talk to the Russos probably four to six times a week. I talk to Joe a lot. I love both of them."
On what the Russo Brothers might cook up for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, Brolin added,
"Of course they're going to come up with something fun. Who knows? That was a 10-year in-the-building kind of thing, and that was its own bookended deal. I don't know what they're going to do, but I'm sure it will be interesting. I think they do that very, very well."
While some fans would love to see Brolin back as Thanos, he had the chance to jump over to the DC Universe in Lanterns, which will star Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. Brolin was offered the role but passed, and it’s not something he’s kicking himself over.
When asked if he regretted turning down Lanterns or Avatar (he was considered for the role played by Stephen Lang), Brolin laughed and said,
"[Laughs] James Cameron. I heard Green Lantern...I know it's Kyle Chander and Paula Patton, who I did a pilot with. I'm sure excited to see it. I can't wait to see it. I love Kyle Chander. I think he's solid. He's fantastic."
There’s been no word on Paula Patton joining the series, so that mention might've been a slip, or a reveal. Either way, it’s clear Brolin’s attention is still more on the Marvel side of things than on suiting up for DC.
And for those wondering about a possible return as Cable in the X-Force future with Ryan Reynolds, Brolin’s continued distance from his Deadpool 2 experience makes that look unlikely for now.