Hugh Jackman Dropping Avon Man To Do Wolverine 2

For those not looking forward to the X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel after the horror show that was the first one, I have some rough news: Deadline is reporting that Hugh Jackman has dropped Avon Man from his list of upcoming projects in favor of getting back in shape for the superhero film. Attached to the project since last July, the film, which will be directed by Kevin Lima, would have had Jackman playing a recently-fired car dealer who is forced to sell makeup door-to-door in order to make ends meet. The film is currently scheduled for an October start date as the studio looks for a new actor.

While bulking up, the article also reports that Jackman may spend the fall filming Selma with director Lee Daniels. The movie was supposed to start shooting last spring and Jackman put on 30 pounds for the role, but he dropped the weight when production was delayed and he began filming Real Steel.

Is anyone out there actually excited about the prospect of Wolverine 2? The first one continues to give me night terrors (HOW COULD THEY SEW UP DEADPOOL'S MOUTH? HOW?) and I'm not the only one. The only positive this thing has going for it is Christopher McQuarrie's involvement, but considering the last script he wrote was Valkyrie, that news may not be as good as it sounds.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.