Pascal keeps nabbing roles in all our favorite movies and TV shows.
The Wonder Woman sequel — arguably one of the most highly-anticipated superhero follow-ups in the works at the moment (and maybe ever) — is really shaping up to be something spectacular, especially now that another awesome, well-loved actor has joined the cast. Pedro Pascal has been tapped for an undisclosed role in Wonder Woman 2.
According to Variety, details about the plot and Pascal’s character remain a mystery for now. We only know that he will play a “key role” in the film that will see Gal Gadot reprise her role as the Amazon warrior, Diana Prince. Kristen Wiig is also officially confirmed to have joined Wonder Woman 2 as the film’s antagonist, Cheetah. The movie will be Pascal and director Patty Jenkins’s second collaboration together after their work on the ABC pilot Exposed back in 2015.
Looking back at Pascal’s recent filmography — specifically the roles that shot him to stardom — it’s abundantly clear that he has been an unstoppable force since starring as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. That character really struck a chord with audiences, making the manner of his (sorry for the spoiler) untimely death especially horrible to digest. Despite there being so much death on Thrones in general, Oberyn’s was both narratively significant and particularly painful to handle given that he was such a good character — with an emphasis on “good” in a moral sense. The character’s disinterest in playing King’s Landing politics but his keen desire to avenge his family made him stand out from the crowd; he cared deeply about the people he loved and sought justice and revenge on their behalf. In the context of Thrones, that’s akin to finding an all-out hero to root for, and Pascal played him perfectly.
But Pascal’s departure from Thrones ended up being a blessing in disguise as it meant that his talents could be geared towards starring in his own show. For the first three seasons of Narcos, Pascal played real-life former DEA agent Javier Peña, who was tasked to bring down Pablo Escobar and, later, the Cali Cartel. Again, Pascal is one of the good guys in the politically corrupted fabric of Narcos. Peña certainly meets his “end” as the show’s third season closes out, but in a less physically gruesome way than Oberyn did. For Peña, watching the ways in which deceit underscores and debases his peers made his desire to uphold justice too much of a moral conundrum. According to Narcos showrunner Eric Newman, “even the good guys don’t have a code,” which is about as demoralizing as these types of gritty dramas get. There is even doubt that Peña ends up happy after leaving the DEA; witnessing the horrors of the drug war might as well have killed him.
These are upsetting facts about Pascal’s beloved characters on TV. Thrones and Narcos hurt audiences deep in the soul, but the initial idea of Kingsman: The Golden Circle seemed to indicate a fresher role for the actor. Pascal’s Jack Daniels / Whiskey is more of a facilitator of a plot twist than a character, which is disheartening. He is revealed to have joined the American version of the Secret Service — the Statesmen — in a skewed attempt to avenge his pregnant wife, but that’s after being suspected to be a double agent. And shocker, he dies. The character is obviously there to serve Eggsy and Harry’s story, but that fact coupled with the extended but empty hyperviolence makes it feel like Pascal’s talent was a tad wasted in Kingsman, even if the film is supposed to be more fun than thought-provoking. Overall, the movie is far too messy and awkwardly paced to feel much of anything at all.
But that’s where Wonder Woman 2 could come in and save the day. We’re ready for movie star Pedro Pascal, but Kingsman did not deliver. He has several other movies in the works, such as The Equalizer 2, Barry Jenkins’s If Beale Street Could Talk, and Triple Frontier, so he still has a shot at enduring stardom. Pascal’s role in Wonder Woman 2 will definitely be his most high-profile one since Thrones, though, guaranteeing him an even more dedicated fanbase. His character doesn’t even have a known name just yet, so it wouldn’t be wise to assume that he will play an odd shade of heroic. But all I’m saying is if he does go for someone good, fingers and toes crossed that they live to tell the tale after.
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