Hugh Jackman has said that the upcoming third Wolverine film, scheduled to be released on March 3, 2017, might be his last one. He announced this news on Saturday via his Instagram account. Though Hugh Jackman recently stated that he probably would be playing the role of Wolverine “forever,” something happened to make him change his mind, or he might have gotten word that Marvel and/or Fox wanted to go in a different direction with the character, and that they wanted someone different to play Wolverine.
If the upcoming third standalone Wolverine movie is Hugh Jackman’s last one in the role, it will be hard to imagine someone else playing the character quite as well. The Instagram post pictured his two fists with three of his adamantium claws extended, captioned with the words “WOLVERINE …ONE LAST TIME.”
It could be that Hugh Jackman was only referring to hearing from somebody at Marvel and/or Fox that the third Wolverine flick would be the last standalone one, but not necessarily the last X-Men one in which the actor will be playing Wolverine. The next X-Men movie will be X-Men: Apocalypse.
There has been no official word yet on whether or not from Hugh Jackman or anyone else if he will be playing Wolverine in it, though an article at CinemaBlend.com mentions that he might have at least a cameo appearance in it. Channing Tatum will also be in the film, as Gambit. The X-Men: Apocalypse flick will begin filming in April.
Hugh Jackman has played the iconic character of Wolverine in seven movies already. He has played the character in the two standalone flicks, The Wolverine and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and in five X-Men movies. If the decision to no longer play Wolverine is his, perhaps Hugh Jackman believes that he has explored the role as much as possible, and he might want to move on, or he might have other pressing commitments. The eighth time playing Wolverine might be the last time Hugh Jackman’s fans see him in the role.
The last movie in which Hugh Jackman portrayed Wolverine was in the 2014 movie, X-Men: Days of Future Past. The sequel to it, X-Men: Apocalypse, is scheduled to open in theaters in the United States on May 27, 2016.
If Hugh Jackman does not reprise his role as Wolverine in X-Men: Apocalypse, he will not be the only X-Men veteran who will not be returning in the film. Ian McKellan has said he would not be returning as Magneto, and Patrick Stewart, who plays Professor Xavier, also will not be returning. Actors who will be reprising their roles include Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy. Actors new to the cast will be playing younger versions of Jubilee, Jean Grey, Storm, and Cyclops.
Will Hugh Jackman’s appearance as Wolverine in the as-yet-untitled upcoming third standalone Wolverine movie be his last one in the role? That is certainly one way to read what the actor wrote in his recent Instagram post, though he might have just been indicating it would be the last standalone Wolerine film that he will be in. The screenplay for Wolverine 3 will be written by David James Kelly. The flick will be produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and directed by James Mangold.
Written By Douglas Cobb
Sources:
seattlepi.com
Bam! Smack! Pow!
Contactmusic.com
Deadline.com
Photo By Paul Gorbould – Flickr License
