Hugh Jackman Endorses Tom Hardy As the Next Wolverine
Hardy is our new go-to guy.
Hugh Jackman is ready to pass the Wolverinetorch, and he’s named his first choice for a successor.
Jackman will portray the mutant for the last time in the upcomingWolverine 3, and there’s been much speculation about who will replace the Australian actor in the role. “I think Tom Hardy would be a great Wolverine,” Jackman told MTV News, after admitting that he hadn’t “really given it a lot of thought…I’ve been asked that question a lot, and I’m always like, ‘I don’t wanna make it too easy on the studio to replace me,’ you know? I’ve still got one more to do. I’m sure they’re already talking about it, and there’s some actor [they’ve told] ‘shh, keep it quiet but we want you next.’”
That’s very likely true, and for all we know that actor is Tom Hardy, who’s become something of a go-to casting suggestion for high-profiles roles. The Mad Max: Fury Roadstar is one of more than a dozen actors nominated by the internet to replace James Bond after Daniel Craig departs the 007 franchise. (Incidentally, Jackman’s name has also been thrown into the ring.)
Jackman took on the role of Wolverine 15 years ago for X-Men, which later spun out standalone Wolverine movies; he’s made a total of eight big-screen appearances so far. The third Wolverine sequel will hit theaters in 2017. Earlier this year, Jackman told Dr. Oz why he finally decided to take off his claws.
“It just felt like it was the right time to do it. And let’s be honest, 17 years. 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.”
But he’s taking his swan song very seriously: Jackman told Collider that he’s not signing off on the Wolverine 3 script until it meets his expectations.
“I have just made the commitment to myself, really, and told everyone that until that script is perfect, until it is that perfect way to sign out, I’m not gonna start shooting.”
Hardy will next appear in the film Legend, in which he’ll play two roles: English gangster-brothers Reggie and Ronnie Cray.
Photos by Mike Marsland / WireImage
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