With the Blu-ray/DVD release ofLoganjust around the corner, we are really, truly about to put the final nail in the coffin when it comes to the Hugh Jackman era of Wolverine. The actor is finally hanging up the claws after nearly two decades of playing the fan-favorite mutant in theX-Men movie universe. But now the question becomes, will we see another actor play the part in the future? Don’t be so sure. At least not anytime soon, according to producer Hutch Parker.
The producer, who worked onLoganas well as some of the otherX-Menmovies, recently spoke withScreen Rant. During the course of the conversation, the subject of the seemingly inevitableWolverine recastingcame up. However, Parker is very hesitant about doing so. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“I think for the moment our focus really is on other characters. I think there’s a part for all of us that feels like Logan, as played by Hugh, is the definitive performance of that character. And I think we’re all a little hesitant at the idea of rebooting it in any way. So, for the moment we’re going to look at - there’s so much else explore in the [X-Men] Universe and to play with. Particularly now as we’ve seen such bold tonal choices being made, I think that opens up the landscape as well, to seeing other genres living kind of fully within the comic book genre. And you saw that with Guardians of the Galaxy, I believe [it] is an exceptional example of that. Obviously Deadpool and Logan now, but I think there’ll be more to come.”
There are few actors who have ever been linked so synonymously with a role as Hugh Jackman with Wolverine. It will be very difficult, if not impossible for fans to accept anyone else in the role. At least not for a long time. Especially after the performance he gave inLogan, which was theWolverine moviemost of us had been waiting to see ever since theX-Menfirst made their way to the big screen. So it is good to hear that someone with some pull at Fox isn’t exactly eager to put the claws on someone else and tell us all to move on.
Hutch Parker also points out that theX-Menuniverse is very vast, and there is a lot to explore.Deadpoolreally opened a lot of doors, like theX-Forcemovie, for example, as well as a couple ofDeadpoolsequels that are in the works. There is also aNew Mutantsmovie andX-Men 7, which is officially titledX-Men: Dark Phoenix, on the way in 2018. So that gives fans of the franchise plenty to chew on in the very near future.
WhileHugh Jackman’s Wolverinewill forever be beloved, he wound up being a huge focus of theX-Menfranchise over the last decade and a half. With Wolverine out of the picture, at least for a bit, it will give a chance for Fox to shift that focus to other characters, which could ultimately help keep the franchise alive for years to come. That said, Fox has so much respect for Jackman that producer Simon Kinberg said recently that he will get a say if and when the time does come to put another actor in the role. But if Hutch Parker is to be believed, that won’t be on the table for the foreseeable future.
