Karl Urban is far from a stranger to starring in comic book adaptations, and already has a huge number of them under his belt, but he’s never really been given the chance to show what he could bring to the table if handed a major role in an effects-heavy superhero blockbuster.
Of course, the actor played the title character in Pete Travis’ cult classic Dredd, but that movie was made for a relatively thrifty $45 million and bombed at the box office, and he might have the lead part in Amazon’s smash hit series The Boys, but Billy Butcher doesn’t possess any superpowers of his own.
Elsewhere, the 48 year-old portrayed a one-dimensional villain in Bruce Willis’ Red, lent support in the awful Korean comic book story Priest and his role as Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok was played mostly for laughs. Furthermore, Urban was also linked to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Batman when both projects were casting the Caped Crusader, but despite admitting that he’d love to don the cape and cowl, he was overlooked on each occasion.
However, we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones that told us Thor: Love and Thunder would be adapting Jane Foster’s cancer storyline before Natalie Portman recently confirmed it – that the former Lord of the Rings star is actively chasing the part of Wolverine when the Marvel Cinematic Universe gets around to rebooting the iconic mutant.
No further details are available, but according to our intel, Urban really wants the role, whether it be the main timeline’s version of the hero or an alternate version from somewhere in the multiverse. He’s certainly got the looks, physicality and charisma to play Wolverine, but the major drawback could be his age.
Urban is already 48, and you’d imagine that Marvel Studios will be casting much younger when it comes to rebooting the mutton-chopped mutant. At least, for the one in the main timeline. But who knows, perhaps the actor could show up as an alternate version at some point as the MCU dives deep into the multiverse?
