The announcement that Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 is causing quite a stir. On the one hand, fans are excited to see Jackman reprise his role as a mutant, but on the other hand, there are legitimate concerns that the moody farewell in 2017’s “Logan” could be ridiculed in retrospect. But it’s not the only topic of conversation when it comes to Wolverine. After Hugh Jackman’s very last appearance, which is imminent sooner or later, one probably won’t miss the chance to recast the role of Wolverine. In the past, for example, “Kingsman” star Taron Egerton was up for debate.
Either way, Hugh Jackman has big shoes to fill, and for many fans it’s inconceivable that anyone else could take on the role of the mutant. It was leading up to the first”X-MenIt was far from clear that Hugh Jackman would play Wolverine. On the contrary: there were doubts.
Superhero movies – not a safe bet?!
It may be hard to imagine from today’s perspective, but back in 2000, when “X-Men” was released, participating in a superhero movie was no guarantee of success and could easily be described as a career risk. There had already been some successful and critically acclaimed comic adaptations, including the first miniseries and franchises, such as Tim Burton’s “Batman” movie adaptations. However, there was still no qualitative consistency.
“Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin” quickly gambled away the good reputation of the previous films and the resulting increased reliance on comedic adaptations. But even Marvel movie adaptations achieved only partial mainstream success. Comic adaptations enjoyed a rather questionable reputation at the turn of the century. This was also noticeable on the set of “X-Men”. The fear of failure with the adaptation, which had been prepared for several years, was so great that the spandex costumes, true to the comics, were not used. It was assumed that audiences were not ready for so much comedic style.
So Hugh Jackman must have had reasonable doubts when he decided to play Wolverine. A role he wasn’t even supposed to play originally, filling in for the previously cast Dougray Scott after filming had already started. Even die-hard comic fans weren’t immediately thrilled with the cast, since the Wolverine in the Marvel comics wasn’t nearly as tall and handsome as Hugh Jackman. Unbelievable when you consider what a crowd pleaser his Wolverine performance would become over the next two decades. But the biggest doubts came not from the fans or the actor himself, but surprisingly from his wife Deborra-Lee Furness.
claws of hands? How ridiculous!
In a 2014 interview with Hugh Jackman tells how he talked to his wife about being offered to play Wolverine. He had only been given three pages of the script for illustrative material, which he went through with her. While he especially struggled to understand the word “SOBS”, which in the comics describes the sound of Wolverine’s claws, Furness stumbled upon the idea that Wolverine’s claws grew out of his hands. She feared her husband would ridicule the role:
“My wife read it to me and she said, ‘Your hands are growing claws? That’s ridiculous!’ And I’m like, “Babe! It’s Bryan Singer! And Ian McKellen!” It’s the only time in 18 years of marriage that she’s been wrong (laughs). Or that she will admit it.”
Ultimately, it’s thanks to Hugh Jackman’s cast and intuition that Wolverine has become who he is in today’s movie landscape. And he was right in his decision. The role is perhaps Jackman’s most iconic and must have changed his life and that of his wife forever. Nevertheless, we can very well understand why he had to think twice about the offer. A possible flop at the box office AND the woman objects? relief!