Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine 7 times. Thus, he now holds the record for the number of times he portrayed the same comic book character in real-action movies. It's hard to imagine the adamantium skeleton mutant recast.
Hugh Jackman brought Wolverine on the big screen for the first time in X-Men (2000). He has reprised his character in the following X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
As impressive as his performance might be - and it is!!! - there is one director who would have recast Wolverine at one point. And we speak of none other than Matthew Vaughn, director of the X-Men: First Class and producer of the well-received Kick-Ass.
No Hugh Jackman in Days of Future Past
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
In an interview with MTV, Matthew Vaughn revealed that if he hadn't parted company with the X-Men franchise, he would have recast Wolverine. Watch the clip below and pay attention to what other changes he would have seen fit for the sequel.
Replacing Hugh Jackman with a younger actor would have made sense, given the plot occasions the portrayal of most other characters at an earlier age. Wolverine is, in fact, the only one who, regardless of the time frame, remains unchanged.
However, Vaughn would not have excluded Hugh Jackman completely. Instead, he would have confined his appearance to future sequences where the mature Wolverine would have entitled Jackman to reprise his role.
Luckily, however, Vaughn was back then caught in directing Kingsman: The Secret Service, so his plans for Days of Future Past were not put into effect.
What actor could be cast as Wolverine?
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman is not ageless, and while he's graced us with a record number of portrayals of the X-Men veteran, it's highly likely at some point he'll be replaced. All the more if the necessity of bringing a young Wolverine on the big screen presents itself.
Who do you have in mind? What actor do you think is worthy of carrying on the legacy Hugh Jackman shaped up in the past 15 years? Have your say below!
