After nine movies in the space of 17 years, Hugh Jackman is ready to pass down the adamantium claws.
Indeed, soon after Logan‘s theatrical release in March, which signaled Jackman’s final appearance as the titular X-Men member, the Aussie actor acknowledged that it’s only a matter of time before 20th Century Fox begins toying with the idea of a Wolverine reboot.
Fast forward to now, and with news that Fox and writer-director James Mangold are beginning to put pen to paper on an X-23 spinoff, Hugh Jackman has reiterated his desire for Wolverine to be recast. It should be noted that Jackman is ostensibly finished with the mutant universe, after revealing that he won’t be producing the Laura-centric sequel featuring the up-and-coming Dafne Keen. He will be there on opening night, though, just like the rest of us.
Here’s what the fan-favorite told THR about the seemingly inevitable recasting:
I know someone will. I hope it will be recast.
That quote triggered a walk down memory lane for Hugh Jackman, who then recalled the moment when he was drafted into Fox’s X-Men universe to supplant Dougray Scott, who was still caught up in the prolonged production of Mission: Impossible 2 at the time.
I met him early on and I said to him, ‘Man, I am sorry.’ And he said, ‘It’s just business but you have just gotten one of the greatest roles out there so go crush it,’ I was just remember being so impressed by that and his class that and hopefully I am a big enough guy that when someone else takes over, I will do exactly what was done to me … and I feel glad to just be a part of the legacy of that character. I feel great parts — great characters out live the actors that play them. Bond, Superman, Batman …. So, there you go.
No further details on Mangold’s X-23 spinoff were disclosed at the time of writing, but we do know it’ll be joining a slate of buzzworthy Fox projects that already includes Deadpool 2, Gambit, Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants. As for Wolverine, there is no shortage of potential replacements (Venom star Tom Hardy has been tipped in the past), but who would you like to see don the claws? Chime in with your predictions via the comments section.
