2017’s Logan was the last time we saw Hugh Jackman grace the big screen as the beloved Wolverine and honestly, we’re probably never gonna see the actor take on the role again… anytime soon at least. Jackman’s turn as the character in 2000’s X-Men was awesome and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. The impending Disney-Fox merger which would we see the X-Men and Fantastic Four join the Marvel Cinematic Universe could see Wolverine returning but it’s likely not going to be Jackman as the man has made it very clear that he doesn’t want to return to the character… for now at least.
Even his buddy Ryan Reynolds has been trying to get him to return for a crossover with Deadpool but Jackman is not on board. We wouldn’t be surprised if Disney were to dump a truckload of cash on Jackman’s doorstep to reprise his role once the merge is finalized but it seems like money isn’t really a factor on this matter.
X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner shared some insight in regards to why Jackman wouldn’t return to the role of Wolverine on a Television Critics Association panel (via Comicbook). She said:
“Hugh, just the physicality of it all, just to bulk up. This man worked so hard to bulk up, would get up at four in the morning to bulk and eat protein meals every two hours because his natural state, they used to call him Worm when he was a kid. So his natural state is a very skinny guy. Once you reach a certain age, the body just won’t go anymore. I think he was wise to say, ‘I’m at that point. I can’t do it.’ Now, that doesn’t mean he can’t come back as older Wolverine. You never know. Future Wolverine, you never know.”
Donner revealed that the X-Men joining the MCU would not be enough to bring the actor back and that Marvel would likely aim to replace him with a younger actor but even that is uncertain. It seems that even she is unsure of what Marvel boss Kevin Feige has planned, saying:
“I don’t know what Kevin’s thinking honestly. I don’t even think Kevin knows, I think Kevin’s still dealing with this wealth of characters and trying to make sense of them.”
Replacing Jackman with a younger actor may very well be a controversial move let alone an insane task. Jackman IS Wolverine and having some young whipper snapper take on the character could really piss some people off. Feige would need to thread this matter cautiously if they wanna appease fans of the character. Maybe the best move is to just not have Wolverine in the MCU at all no matter how cool it may sound.
Source: Comicbook
