Back in March of this year, Hugh Jackman stunned the comic book world with the announcement that he was finished playing the character that brought him fame and fortune, the X-Man known as Wolverine. He will still appear in X-Men : Apocalypse in a reduced role, and of course Wolverine III is still on the horizon. However, Jackman's announcement confirmed what his fans had feared.
Wolverine has been one of the most popular characters in the Marvel comics world. He was the centerpiece of the entire X-Men movie trilogy. He starred in two stand-alone Wolverine movies and was the central character in the new order of younger mutants in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Due to the unique way Wolverine ages, there has never been a need to have another actor play younger or older versions of the character. Unlike his fellow mutants, like Professor X, Magneto and Mystique, the iconic character has only been portrayed by one single actor.
Jackman is the only man in history to don the claws and cigar of the former Weapon X. The idea that someone else will play this character one day is hard to swallow for many fans. Jackman's announcement, however, made us all face that reality head on. This of course, started the speculation as to who would take over as the new Wolverine and what his role would be in the future.
Next: Check out what Hugh Jackman has to say about Tom playing Wolverine
While no official announcement has come from the studio thus far as to who that successor will be, Hugh Jackman decided to weigh in during a recent interview with MTV News.
"I haven't really given it a lot of thought," Jackman said. "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.’"
"He's younger than me for sure," Jackman said. "I think Tom Hardy would be a great Wolverine."
Why Tom Hardy? Tom Hardy most recently starred as "Mad Max" in the remake of the 80's cult classic and was met with solid reviews. Hardy also played the villain "Bain" in the last Batman installment, "The Dark Knight Rises." Tom seems to have the presence, the ruggedness, and the grit to pull off the part of the toughest guy in Canada.
Next: Check Out How Tom Hardy Will Look As Wolverine
With all of the support from fans and the former Wolverine himself, you would think the studio would have jumped on this idea right away. Yet they didn't, and there are reasons why. The top brass at the studio know that anyone who takes over after Hugh Jackman will be measured against one thing and one thing only: Hugh Jackman.
The concern has to be whether or Tom Hardy is a strong enough A-List actor to stand up to that kind of pressure and scrutiny.
The other question would seem to be whether or not an actor like Tom Hardy would want to sign on for a multi-film deal. Hardy already accepted and then bailed out of his role as Rick Flag in the upcoming "Suicide Squad." He cited issues with the script as the reason for dropping out of the ensemble project.
Would Hardy want to sign up for playing Wolverine, in larger roles or occasional cameos, whenever the studio called? Time will tell.
Would Tom Hardy bring a new dimension and possibly a new interpretation to the character? Of course he would, as would any good actor. It seems audiences are already accepting him in the role all throughout the blogging world, as you can see in this mock-up of fan art. That popularity should translate to the big screen nicely.
What do you think fans?
