LOGAN Star Hugh Jackman On Saying Goodbye To Wolverine And Turning Down The Chance To Play JAMES BOND

LOGAN Star Hugh Jackman On Saying Goodbye To Wolverine And Turning Down The Chance To Play JAMES BOND

In a new interview, Hugh Jackman reveals that he was offered the role of James Bond but his X-Men commitments got in the way. The actor also discusses his critically acclaimed final performance as Logan...

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By MarkCassidy - Dec 05, 2017 04:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Logan
In anticipation of his latest role as P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, Variety has published an in-depth profile of Academy Award-Winning actor Hugh Jackman, and it's well worth a read if you're a fan. 

The interview touches base on a lot of topics, but perhaps most interestingly, Jackman confirms the rumors that he was offered the role of James Bond before Daniel Craig signed on.

“I was about to do ‘X-Men 2’ and a call came from my agent asking if I’d be interested in Bond. I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy, and I felt like they needed to become grittier and real. And the response was: ‘Oh, you don’t get a say. You just have to sign on.’ I was also worried that between Bond and ‘X-Men,’ I’d never have time to do different things.”

The Aussie star also says that it was a bittersweet feeling to bid farewell to Wolverine after playing him for so many years, while expressing some regret that he didn't get the opportunity to fully inhabit a more adult take on the iconic character sooner than Logan.

“I wish I’d started playing him like that 17 years ago. So there’s some sense of missed opportunity, but when I saw ‘Logan,’ I sat there and I did have tears in my eyes. The main feeling I had was: “There, that’s the character. I feel like I’ve done it now.” And I was calm and at peace, but I’m going to miss that guy.”

There are currently whispers that Fox execs haven't ruled out bringing Jackman back as Wolverine under the right circumstances, but if his comments here are any indication, it certainly sounds like he's put his berserker rage days behind him.
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DarthMoose
DarthMoose - 12/5/2017, 4:48 PM
Rip Logan. Gonna be hard to replace Hugh as Logan.
DarthMoose
DarthMoose - 12/5/2017, 4:50 PM
@RickGrimes - would have loved to see him appear in xforce.
thekabsin
thekabsin - 12/5/2017, 5:41 PM
@RickGrimes - it won’t be tho because of the suit- the suit will make the new Wolverine, that and the new X Men won’t be based solely around him
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 12/5/2017, 6:49 PM
@RickGrimes - i think its hard to replace any actor in an iconic role. christopher reeve is still the definitive superman as tobey maguire as spiderman
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 12/5/2017, 9:34 PM
@thekabsin - A suit can't make a character. It would certainly distinguish the new version, but a great costume won't mean much if the writing, directing, and performance aren't up to par.
James99201
James99201 - 12/5/2017, 9:59 PM
@mastakilla39 - I challenge that comment about Spider-Man, Tom Holland was a perfect Spider-Man better than Toby in civil war and homecoming a awkward kid that wasn't comfortable with having all his powers. I think people don't like change and it's easier to accept what you know than the mystery. And Michael keaton has been my Batman for so long and i struggled with changing to Ben Affleck as my choice and i had to seperate separate the movie and the performance but lets not lie and say homecoming wasn't the best spider man movie l, script and acting!
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 12/5/2017, 10:15 PM
@mastakilla39 - I'd say Jackman is arguably a tougher act to follow than Reeve for a few reasons.

- Jackman was the first actor to portray the character in live action. Reeve was preceded by Kirk Alyn and George Reeves. Therefore, even when Reeve's versions of the character became iconic, there was already a tradition of this role being passed down

- On a related note, even outside of live action portrayals, Superman is an icon recognized around the world. The character is bigger than any one iteration. Wolverine was known before the films, but not nearly on the same level. For many, Jackman's portrayal was their introduction to the character, so it'd be hard to put that version out of their mind when thinking about the character.

-Reeve was Superman in 4 movies over 9 years. Jackman was Wolverine in 9 movies (7 if you don't count the cameos) over 17 years. Jackman roughly doubles Reeve's tenure.

-Jackman also went out on a high note. I think with a franchise that dips in quality the way that Superman series did, it makes it a little easier for viewers to be open minded about a new direction. Bad sequels can weaken the attachment people have to a particular iteration of a franchise or character.

Basically, whoever comes next has a very difficult job ahead of them. Assuming this Disney/Fox deal happens, I do think the context of the MCU could benefit the new Wolverine. Different world, different characters to play off, bigger adventures to take part in, etc.
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 12/5/2017, 10:33 PM
@James99201 - I think Holland is great, but he isn't the definitive Spider-man...yet.

Civil War touched on the sense of responsibility, but Homecoming (as much as I loved it) didn't create a sense that Peter's sense of guilt and responsibility are what drive him to be a superhero. I think if someone were to watch the movie without any prior knowledge of Spider-man, they'd think his motivation is this desire to prove himself and be a big league superhero like Tony Stark and The Avengers.

I don't fault them for taking this direction of a Peter who's excited about being Spider-man. It makes sense in this world and given the context of coming so soon after two iterations of Spider-man that start with the tragedy of Uncle Ben's death and use that to fuel Peter, it was a good call not to lean into that again. That's the tricky thing about reboots. Sometimes, in order to be fresh, you have to deviate from things that work. The downside is that this element is so integral to the heart of Spider-man.

I believe as Holland's Peter grows up and takes on bigger challenges, there will be a sense that he's carrying more weight on his shoulders. Until we get to that point where Peter feels like his life as Spider-man is both a release and a burden of responsibility, I don't think we can call him the best. I'd also say his Spider-man doesn't feel fully formed yet. He's not as quippy as Spider-man tends to be. IMO, Garfield's Spider-man was the best so far at this element. Once Peter gets better at being Spider-man and his confidence grows, I'd like to see the quips develop.
NicholiB
NicholiB - 12/6/2017, 1:42 AM
@RickGrimes - Indeed where are we going to find another handsome 6 foot 2" Australian in a vest to play a brutal looking five foot 3" Canadian in a masked costume. ;-)
DarthGrizzly
DarthGrizzly - 12/5/2017, 4:50 PM
Remember he said he'll come back if it's in the mcu......... You know what I'm getting at
ScarletWarlock
ScarletWarlock - 12/5/2017, 4:54 PM
It would be neat if they cast a new Wolverine for the MCU, and maybe at some point the new costumed Wolverine meets an alternate universe Old Man Logan, now that the multiverse is involved, we can do this type of thing.
Termin8er
Termin8er - 12/5/2017, 5:17 PM
@ScarletWarlock - If Disney buys Fox, which it seems is likely, i wouldn't rule out Marvel rebooting the X-Men in the MCU and using Doctor Strange to bring in some of the FoX-Men into the MCU continuity. Hugh as Old Man Logan with the new Wolverine would be EPIC.
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