Hugh Jackman, who last played Wolverine in 2017’s “Logan,” said he would have loved to play the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had Disney only acquired the Fox film studio — including its roster of Marvel characters like the X-Men — before 2019.
“If seven years ago that had happened I’d be like, ‘Oh yeah!’” Jackman told The Daily Beast in a new interview. “But I knew it was the right time for me to leave the party — not just for me, but for the character. Somebody else will pick it up and run with it. It’s too good of a character not to. It’s kind of like, ‘You’re on your way home and your friend rings you and goes, “Oh, dude, a new DJ just came on and the music is awesome, are you going to come back?” And you say, Sounds good but… no.’ They’re fine with someone else.”
In 2015, Jackman indicated that he would be playing the superhero character just once more, posting a photo of his fists clutching the claws of the character with the caption “Wolverine… one last time.”
“Logan,” released in March of 2017, grossed $226 million domestically. He played the character in seven films (with uncredited cameos in two more), beginning with 2000’s “X-Men.”
Jackman will next be seen in HBO’s “Bad Education” opposite Allison Janney, which premieres on Saturday. As to who will be the next actor to play Wolverine? Only Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige knows that answer at the moment.