Hugh Jackman has been in the headlines recently for his upcoming role as Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine. According to a report in PTI, the Australian actor was initially rejected for the role of Wolverine as he was deemed too tall to play the mutant superhero. He was hired back after the Scottish actor Dougray Scott dropped out last minute, according to Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige.
Scott was initially set to play the clawed superhero in the 20th Century Fox mutant franchise, Jackman flew to Toronto to audition for the lead role of Wolverine. But Tom Cruise did not want the actor to play both the villain in “Mission: Impossible 2” and Wolverine. Scott opted out of the role and the team decided to bring the Australian actor back.
Kevin Feige who was an assistant to producer Lauren Shuler Donner at the time, shared what went behind the scenes before Jackman was hired. “There was a scramble to get our Wolverine. Lauren was very excited about this Australian guy, who had been rejected initially. In my memory, one of the main reasons was that he was too tall. Wolverine in the comics is called ‘Lil’ Fireplugs’ sometimes. He’s a short guy. But they were desperate.”
But Jackman was unaware of what was happening behind the scenes with Scott’s exit at the last moment. Jackman had announced his retirement from the character after 2017’s “Logan” but he reunites with Feige for the upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine” as Fox merged with Disney in 2020. He also gets to collaborate with Ryan Reynolds, who has been trying to convince Jackman to return as Wolverine for years.
The reunion of Wolverine and Deadpool in the new version comes after the duo starred together in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Gavin Hood directed the fourth part of the franchise. The film also featured Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan. Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool and Wolverine stars Hugh Jackman, Emma Corin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Matthew Macfayden, and Karan Soni. Deadpool and Wolverine is scheduled to be released on July 26.
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