It is hard to imagine someone else playing Wolverine but Hugh Jackman. No matter how crummy the X-Men films got, Jackman never let us down. He brought his all on every set and made sure that Logan was the best part of every movie.
After 9 films in the space of 17 years, Jackman is ready to pass down the adamantium claws. Who will replace him is unknown, and that will not change for a while, but in an interview with THR, he shared a story about the time he met a man who was supposed to play Wolverine.
Jackman was not the first choice for the X-Men leader. Dougray Scott was Fox’s pick, but after seeing that he was caught up in the production of Mission: Impossible 2, Jackman took the spot. Being the great guy that he is, the actor offered an apology to Scott.
“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 just remember being so impressed by that and his class, 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.”
Though Jackman says that “great characters out live the actors that play them,” it is still going to be difficult to watch someone else step into this role. It will be like cheating on Gal Gadot with Sean Spicer.
There is nothing to worry about yet and we do not know what Fox plans to do with this character. The next few years look bright for the X-Men Universe. We have New Mutants, Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix to look forward to. Big things are in store for this franchise but no matter which new directions the studio heads in from here, we think we can say that Jackman‘s absence will be felt.
