Deadpool 2: How That Shocking Celebrity Cameo Was Kept Secret

Contains spoilers for Deadpool 2

Keeping movie details secret is no easy feat — just ask Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who created an entire anti-spoiler campaign in efforts to dissuade fans from leaking information ahead of the film's official release. With that in mind, it's all the more impressive that Deadpool 2 director David Leitch was able to pull off a massive celebrity cameo without anyone knowing about it before they were supposed to. 

As Deadpool held interviews for potential members of the X-Force — known for sure to include Zazie Beetz's Domino, Terry Bedlam's Bedlam, Lewis Tan's Shatterstar, and Rob Delaney's Peter — he brought on someone fans didn't see in the Deadpool 2 trailers, posters, and various tongue-in-cheek promotional videos. It was Vanisher, the mutant supervillain also known as Telford Porter and El Hombre que Desaparece, who uses teleportation and gas and energy beam-blasting guns to do his dirty deeds. None other than Brad Pitt, the guy originally rumored to play Cable, took on the role in Deadpool 2. 

At first, Pitt's Vanisher doesn't appear on screen at all. Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool initially looks as if he's fully lost his marbles when talking to someone who isn't there; then, in the skydiving scene, all that can be spotted of Vanisher is his parachute. But when Vanisher (spoiler alert) crashes into power lines and gets electrocuted, he becomes visible for a few seconds before getting completely crispy-fried (Colonel Sanders' 11 herbs and spices not included).

How exactly did the cameo come about, and how did Leitch manage to keep it a secret both from the general public and the movie's actors? 

Speaking with Inverse, the filmmaker explained that securing Pitt for the gig was pretty easy. Leitch is actually friends with Pitt, and has been since he worked as the actor's stunt double in Ocean's 11 and Fight Club. However, their camaraderie was only part of why Pitt agreed to do the cameo.

"I think it was a love of Deadpool and ... [the] sort of global phenomenon that it was," Leitch said." And his kids loved it. When we reached out to him to be involved in the movie in some way, I think he was pretty excited to find someplace where he could help. When we landed on the Vanisher cameo, it seemed perfect for everybody."

But how did no one see Pitt's cameo role coming? His performance only took "about four or five minutes" to shoot in front of a green screen, Leitch stated. And as Domino actress Zazie Beetz relayed to RadioTimes.com, it was apparently also filmed in secret after principal photography on Deadpool 2 had wrapped. 

"I wasn't there when [Pitt] did that. I think they got some studio space and did that later on, threw him in there ... I do remember hearing on-set conversations that Brad Pitt might do it," Beetz said. "I wasn't sure if it was actually gonna happen. I saw the movie last week and I was like 'Oh he did it!' So, that was great."

Though it remains a mystery whether Pitt will ever play Vanisher again, Deadpool fans can certainly dream.