It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since we saw Hugh Jackman stun audiences with his bulging biceps and sharp claws, but since retiring the role of Wolverine, the Aussie Golden Child has only continued on his impressive run of converting audiences around the world to devoted fans of his own personal brand. But as with any role that comes to be iconic within pop culture, it’s hard to see anyone else stepping in to fill the shoes Jackman did so well. A Wolverine without Jackman…it just doesn’t feel right.
When it was announced that Disney would gain the rights to the X-Men franchise through the 2019 Disney/Fox merger, reports circulated that the streaming service Disney+ would be looking to reboot some of these familiar characters. It’s reported that Marvel Studios is already working on a new X-Men film, supposedly called The Mutants. As The Illuminerdi reported in March, this Marvel Studios-led project, produced by the company’s CEO Kevin Feige, is currently in development and will reboot the entire X-Men franchise. Disney on the other hand, is also looking to produce a Wolverine TV show.
With this in mind, attention then turns to just who will play the part and if Hugh Jackman has any say, Wolverine will go to Tom Hardy. In an interview with MTV ahead of the release of his last outing as Wolverine in Logan, Jackman expressed: “I’ve been asked the question a lot and I’m always like, ‘I don’t want to make it too easy on the studio to replace me.”
Jackman added, “I’m sure they’re already talking about it, that some actor out there they’ve already said, ‘Shhhh…keen it quiet but we want you next.’ He’s younger than me for sure, I think Tom Hardy would be great.”
Who knows whether we might just see Hardy don a pair of adamantium claws for the first time in his career. One thing is for sure, these are some pretty big shoes to fill and it’s going to take a committed and dedicated actor willing to put in the work to pull it off convincingly.
