Whatever you think of the X-Men films, it’s impossible to deny the impact Hugh Jackman has had over the role of Wolverine. He’s now been playing the character for 15 years over the course of seven movies, and according to him, his next turn – in the untitled Wolverine sequel – will be his last (well, unless he makes a surprise appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse).
But why is Jackman leaving the role? Why now, after all these years? The actor recently explained his decision when he visited the Dr. Oz show.
According to Jackman:
“This will be my last one. […] It is my last time. It just felt like it was the right time to do it. And let’s be honest, 17 years [note: the Wolverine sequel is scheduled for 2017]. I never thought in a million years it would last, so I’m so grateful to the fans for the opportunity of playing it.
“I kind of have in my head what we’re going to do in this last one. It just feels like this is the perfect way to go out.”
Perfect way to go out, huh? I wonder if that means we might finally see the death of Wolverine on the big screen. X-Men fans are probably already aware that the character was killed in the comics last year, but he’s actually “died” a couple time previously.
Could the next Wolverine film be a true sendoff for the character, at least until the inevitable reboot? Or is Logan destined to wander the world with mutton chops forever?
Considering X-Men: Days of Future Past completely rewrote the continuity of the X-movie universe, it’s anyone’s guess what the next Wolverine film will be about. Will it be tied to the events of The Wolverine in any way? Obviously, none of that film is canonical anymore, but Wolverine himself remembers it as though it occurred.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for director James Mangold, who went about making a film – with the obvious intention of following it up with a sequel – only to find out that Bryan Singer was wiping it from existence.
Since Jackman’s on his way out of the franchise and Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence are probably on their way out, what can we expect from future X-Men movies? Will Fox fully reboot the series? (Days of Future Past was a soft reboot, at most.) Or will they pass the torch onto the new class that’s being introduced in Apocalypse?
Whatever they do, it’s hard to imagine they’ll just retire Wolverine from the movies altogether. As annoyed as some people are by his prominence in the series, there’s no doubt that he sells tickets in a way few X-Men do.
What say you, Screen Ranters? Are you okay with Hugh Jackman retiring from playing Wolverine? Do you want to see the character re-cast? Drop us a line in the comments.
X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters May 27th, 2016. The next Wolverine movie is due in theaters March 3rd, 2017.
Source: Dr. Oz [via ComicBook.com]
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