‘X-Men’ Writer Reveals Hugh Jackman Was Never Supposed to be Wolverine
One of the most iconic comic book adaptations of all time was never really intended, as a former X-Men writer tells the story of how Hugh Jackman was never supposed to be Wolverine.
In the fairly recent history of comic book films, there are a few performances that stand out as some of the best in the genre.
Source: Fox/ Marvel
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, and Patrick Stewart as Professor X are a few that jump o mind as characters that will forever be linked to the actors that originated them on the big screen.
Yet, for as beloved and transcendent those performances are, and for as much as they have come to define aspects of the characters they played; there is no character as defined by their on-screen adaptation as much as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
Source: Fox/ Marvel
Jackman played the adamantium-clawed mutant for almost two decades and brought the character to life both in the confines of the original X-Men team and in several solo spin-off projects.
A character that took some liberties with the source material, Jackman really embodied everything that a comic book accurate Wolverine wasn’t; which leads to the story told recently by an X-Men writer who admitted that Hugh Jackman was never supposed to be Wolverine.
Logan (2017)
Hugh Jackman
FRAMEGRAB FROM TRAILER
David Hayter was a writer on the original 2000s X-Men films, and he remarked on a time when Jackman was rejected for the role; with scheduling conflicts leading to the Australian performer’s chance to play the character.
In a story reported by CBR.com, Hayter recalled, “The first time Hugh Jackman read, he didn’t get cast, He was great, but he was the nicest guy in the world and he was very tall and super handsome, so we didn’t think he was Wolverine.”
Source: Fox/ Marvel
Hayter noted, “Tom Rothman, the head of Fox, said it was going to be Dougray Scott, so we cast him while he was doing Mission Impossible II and we kept getting calls from Tom Cruise saying, ‘We just need him a little longer.”
“When we were about to start shooting the movie,” Hayter continued, “We hadn’t seen Wolverine of fit him for costumes so we sent costumer Louise Mingenbach down to Australia to fit him, and it turned out he had been in a motorcycle accident shooting Mission: Impossible II.”
Source: Fox/ Marvel
Hayter concluded that “It just wants going to work.” With Dougray Scott, Jackman was then granted the role of the iconic character.
Thankfully for the legacy of the X-Men, we had Hugh Jackman originate one of the greatest comic book adaptations of all time, and one that will surely stand the test of time.
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