Summary
Hugh Jackman recalls his Wolverine casting and his first interaction with Kevin Feige, proving why theMCU’s perfectX-Mencast is almost guaranteed. Twenty-four years after his first appearance as Wolverine and seven years afterWolverine’s apparent retirement inLogan, Hugh Jackman is wielding the claws again inDeadpool & Wolverine.Deadpool & Wolverine’s multiversal plot, in turn, might lead to one or more Wolverine appearances inthe MCU’s upcoming Multiverse Saga movies. If Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine joins the Avengers and other heroes inAvengers 5andAvengers: Secret Wars, then Jackman could complete three whole decades playing Wolverine on the big screen.
Wolverine is now synonymous with Hugh Jackman, but Jackman wasn’t the first choice for the role back in 2000.Dougray Scott had been cast as Wolverine for Bryan Singer’sX-Men, but delays inMission: Impossible II’s production prevented Scott from participating inX-Men. Wolverine had to be recast quickly, as filming had already begun. Fortunately, Hugh Jackman got the role and embodied the hero so perfectly that he has remained Wolverine’s only live-action actor since then. However, the process wasn’t so easy for Jackman.
Kevin Feige Believed In Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Casting Despite Having The Odds Stacked Against Him
Kevin Feige Understood Hugh Jackman’s Potential Even Before He Got Cast As Wolverine
Speaking toEW, Hugh Jackman reminisced about his experience auditioning for Wolverine. According to Jackman, he thought he had failed the audition, so he got ready to move on and return to Australia. However,Kevin Feige — who was just beginning his career as a feature film producer withX-Men— went out of his way to spend time with Jackmanbefore the actor went back home. Apparently, Kevin Feige didn’t know the results of Hugh Jackman’sX-Menaudition at the time, but he seems to have identified Jackman’s potential. Read Hugh Jackman’s full comments below:
“I said, ‘Kevin, we all know I’m not getting the part. You don’t have to do dinner,'” Jackman recalls. “But no, he sat in there and had a steak dinner with me and then drove me to the airport. I’ll never forget it. That was the nicest thing. I thought, I’ll never see him again.”
Needless to say, Hugh Jackman’s audition got him the role, and he began donning the black leather suit shortly afterward. As Hugh Jackman starred in every followingX-Meninstallment, Kevin Feige went on to work onpre-MCU Marvel moviessuch as Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy,Daredevil,Hulk,X2: X-Men United, andX-Men: The Last Stand, which prepared him to take on his most ambitious idea: a Marvel Cinematic Universe inhabited by all the characters that Marvel still owned the cinematic rights to.
Kevin Feige Will Make Sure The MCU’s X-Men Are As Perfectly Cast As They Can Be
Nobody Understands Who The MCU’s X-Men Cast Needs More Than Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige saw in Hugh Jackman what a live-action Wolverine needed before the Marvel Cinematic Universe andFox’sX-Menmovie franchiseexisted — that is, during Feige’s first-ever credit in a Marvel production.Hugh Jackman’s casting anecdote only serves to prove that Kevin Feige has a deep understanding of Marvel charactersand a refined instinct for inspired casting choices. Now that Feige’s cinematic universe idea has become a multi-billion dollar empire spanning dozens of projects across more than sixteen years, his careful search for the perfectX-Menactors will likely bear similarly satisfying results.
What’s Going On With The MCU X-Men Movie?
There haven’t been many updates on the X-Men movie since Hank McCoy’s appearance in The Marvels, so what exactly is going on with the MCU film?
Hugh Jackman isn’t the only actor who got his Marvel role despite initial doubts. Marvel wasn’t keen on casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark for 2008’sIron Man, but Jon Favreau insisted on having him audition, and the rest is history. Speaking toCinemaBlend, Kevin Feige said"Jon Favreau really had that vision for that movie and for Robert in that role. That decision, and the success of that decision, I think empowered us with further risks and further choices.“From the very beginning of both theX-Menmovie franchise and the MCU, good casting choices have been essential.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Casting Anecdote Proves The MCU Needs Kevin Feige For At Least One More Saga
The MCU’s X-Men Will Likely Be Kevin Feige’s True Crown Jewel
Kevin Feige has witnessed the success of the downs and lows of Fox’sX-Menmovie franchise and the massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well asAvengers: Endgame’s celebration of the Infinity Saga and, eventually, the Multiverse Saga’s celebration of every Marvel movie and show ever made. Although Kevin Feige could easily feel satisfied about his impressive career and retire onceAvengers: Secret Warsculminates the Multiverse Saga, Feige likely won’t leave the MCU without introducing the MCU’s X-Men himself. After all,the MCU’s ownX-Menproperties will bring Kevin Feige’s Marvel career full circle.
Just as Kevin Feige seemingly understood that Hugh Jackman was the right fit forX-Men’s Wolverine back in 2000, he likely understands which actor each mutant character needs in the MCU, more so now that the Marvel Studios CEO has dozens of projects and over two decades of experience under his belt.The MCU’s first properX-Menproject may arrive around 2030— thirty years after Feige began working with Marvel. So, if Kevin Feige were to retire once the MCU’s next saga ends, there’s little the legendary Marvel producer would leave unaccomplished.
