It is very nearly the end of an era as we stand on the edge of the release of Logan, Hugh Jackman's last time performing the role of Wolverine. However, we know that the most famous member of the X-Men can't possibly be gone forever, so what happens then? Hugh Jackman says he has no problem with somebody taking over the role in the future. Well, he might have one problem.
The character will go on. Someone else will play it, for sure. [He insisted he was at peace with that] unless Daniel Day-Lewis plays him and wins the Oscar --- then I might have a little problem.
At this point, seeing somebody win an Oscar for playing Wolverine is about the only thing that somebody could do to make the role bigger than it is today. Few people have played any part so many times and for so long as Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine. Logan will be the eighth time that Jackman has played the part, ninth if you count his cameo in X-Men: First Class. Jackman's comments to the New York Times make it clear that he's mostly ready to move on.
Of course, there's also the chance, however remote, that Hugh Jackman himself could cap off the run as Wolverine with an Oscar himself. Ryan Reynolds has said that Logan may be the movie that brings the superhero genre to the attention of the Academy Awards. The early reviews of the film have been absolutely glowing. While it's certainly early to make assumptions about 2017 award nominees, we can't say that Jackman doesn't at least have a shot at it.
It will be very interesting to see what the future of Wolverine really will be on the big screen. On the one hand, Hugh Jackman's performance has become absolutely iconic. It's the sort of association with the part that would make it difficult for anybody else to simply step into the part. In addition, while we don't know for certain what happens to the character in Logan we're certainly being given the impression that the character is reaching some sort of end point. As such, there may not be an easy way to bring the character back into other future films.
One assumes that other actors would be at least a little bit nervous about stepping into the claws of Hugh Jackman. There's no way that whoever comes along to play the part won't spend every minute on screen being compared to Jackman. If the portrayal is too much like Jackman's they get hit for not doing enough differently, but if they're too different, they'll be criticized for drifting too far from the character.
Someday, however, there will be another Wolverine, the character is simply too popular for him not to continue on. Would you like to see Wolverine come back soon or is it better that we give him an extended break? Let us know what you think in the comments.
