While visiting the set of X-Men: Days of Future Past recently, IGN got this juicy soundbite out of one Hugh Jackman about his future as the short and furry mutant, and his possibly being replaced; “Look, that’s inevitable, man. Anyone who thinks they’re indispensable in this business is fooling themselves. But I feel unbelievably blessed to have this part; Every day I walk on the set with the claws and the hair, I thank my lucky stars. I don’t take any of it for granted.â€
Jackman is right, of course, it is inevitable that one day Wolverine will be recast. The part is bigger than he is, even if he did make the character a household name (and, yes, fanboys, he’s the one that did; no matter how popular the comics were in the eighties or the cartoon was in the nineties, your mom and dad and non-nerd siblings had no idea who Wolverine was until Hugh Jackman filled that wifebeater he wears). But at some point, he’ll get too old to play the part, especially as his character doesn’t really age. He’s lucky he’s looked more or less the same for this long.
Having said that, however, it’ll be a long while before it happens. Hugh Jackman is simply the face of this franchise, and Fox knows it. At age 45, Jackman is still in amazing shape, and can easily still play the part for the better part of the next decade. Also, playing Wolverine once every couple years allows Jackman to get his big franchise paycheck and then go and do smaller films and Broadway shows in between. It’s the perfect arrangement for him.
As to how many more times at bat there is going to be, who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Fox announces a very lucrative contract for Jackman to play the part of Wolverine for three or maybe even four more movies over the next decade, locking him in to their biggest franchise. Although X-Men: Days of Future Past is a swan song for the classic X-Men cast, expect the one exception to that rule to be Hugh Jackman. Aside from Days, Fox has an X-Force movie in development, and there have even been rumors of an X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover movie, plus talk of a third Wolverine solo movie. And Fox will want Hugh Jackman for all of them. So while a recast is indeed inevitable, I wouldn’t start worrying about it yet.
Richard Armitage is the only one I can picture in the role…
To build in the “Old Man Logan idea” How about a story line where Logan finally finds himself and decides that his life has to change. He decides to leave the X-Men for good but in the ensuing time finds someone younger who was part of the same military project he was but who escaped when all hell broke loose. He helps him deal with his powers and sends him to the x-men bestowing upon him the Wolverine moniker.
Hugh Jackman is always going to be my favorite actor as wolverine, He’ll be the Christopher Reeve of The Wolverines. Even though he doesn’t fit the classic Comic version of Logan.
Oh and Jeff you must get laid a lot, you know when you not out commenting and trolling as the champion of battered women everywhere on a story about Hugh Jackman someday no longer being a Wolverine. I’ve noticed Twice now you made no comments that have anything to do with the subject so I’m just going to guess that your favorite Super Hero is IMPOTENT RAGE! Run along now and let the grown ups talk about COMICS and not your ideas and thoughts on the political correct way to refer to Under wear.
Jeff, your little preaching session on using the term wifebeater will and never will do one thing to help a battered woman or child.
Just a cheap and cowardly way to make us all think you are out there stopping abuse.
Thanks for the comments. i understand that the term has been used for years. I have heard it throughout my life. That is amazing that it is actually in the dictionary not marked as offensive. I would hope that, like other terms throughout history to describe something or somebody offensively, we could think about what the actual meaning is before we use it and especially put it online to live for perpetuity. Again to my original point of “encouraging ignorant complacency in our society”. Perhaps we can raise the bar together. Thank you for considering.
@Jeff- What Dan said. I’m definitely not trying to mock domestic violence victims…but those kinds of tank tops have been called that for YEARS now. I didn’t coin the term, they’ve been called that since I was in high school (which was over twenty years ago) I’ve even seen stores sell them as simply “beaters”. It’s tasteless, but it’s part of our culture now.
@Jeff, Eric is in no way trying to minimize the pain and suffering of domestic violence victims. Quite simply, “wifebeater” is the accepted term for a men’s white tanktop. The word may seem repulsive, but it is appropriately used in this context.
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wifebeater
Joel Edgerton would make a good Wolverine.
Eric Diaz should be ashamed of himself for his description of Wolverine’s “signature” dirty, white tank top he wears. Minimizing the pain and suffering of so many people who are victims of Domestic Violence only encourages the ignorant complacency in our society.
His last flick should be Old Man Logan
All the people saying “Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine” apparently don’t know the Wolverine of the comics.
Wolverine needs to be short, rough, and entirely less brooding. Like, Charlie Day would make a better Wolverine than Hugh Jackman.
@Ledouchee lol
And either Paul Dano or Michael Cera as Sabretooth!!
Jesse Eisenberg as Wolverine
A Fantastic 4 vs. X-MEN MOVIE COULD BE COOL. WHEN THEY RECAST WOLVERINE IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A REBOOT,BEFORE THEY DO THAT THEY SHOULD REALLY DO AN OLD MAN LOGAN MOVIE.