Was/Is Hugh Jackman the right "Wolverine"?

[jo]

When one watches this -- one realizes how much physical effort Hugh has had to put in for the many Wolverine films that he did. Of course the LOGAN one required the most fighting scenes.

One detail leaked to the press -- because Hugh was running up a hillside/mountainside for this prolonged scene, he was supposed to have fainted from the reduced amount of oxygen he was taking in as he went up the upward running trajectory. But he did share some personal scenes which showed him training/running at dawn to prepare for these scenes.

He did put so much effort to give the fanboys the best Wolverine that can ever be!


Jo

[jo]

The wife of the creator of the comicbook Wolverine shared this tweet --

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

No mistaking that back




LOL - it's the hairstyle, more than anything else

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

The social media noise is getting louder and louder -- but given Hugh's strong reluctance to go back to the Wolverine role/..and more importantly, given his involvement in The Music Man (booked though to July 31, but could be further extended given his original 1-year commitment)...it doesn't seem likely.

Jo

[jo]

A discussion of how the casting of Hugh Jackman changed the superhero genre!

screenrant.com/xmen-wolverine-bob-hoskins-perfect-franchise-bad-movies/

X-Men: Bob Hoskins Was Perfect For Wolverine (But Would Have Ruined The Franchise)

Wolverine was envisioned to be played by Bob Hoskins. But choosing Hugh Jackman, the character became a sex symbol, aiding in the franchise's success.

BY COLE PERSON
PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO



After the success of Wolverine, Chris Claremont's 1980's comic book series, it was imagined that Bob Hoskins would take on the titular role in an X-Men film - but as 20 years of Hugh Jackman has shown, Hoskins would not have been the right choice. Chris Claremont, the writer of the 1982 Wolverine comics, said that in 1988 it seemed perfectly rational to cast Hoskins as Logan, citing the harshness and brutality that he portrayed as perfect compliments to Wolverine’s character at the time. However, it wouldn’t be until 2000 when X-Men – particularly Wolverine – would become a blockbuster franchise, with Hugh Jackman as the star.

Hoskins was favored by Claremont, and he pitched the idea of an X-Men film adaptation in the early '90s to James Cameron, but the project never got off the ground. By the time X-Men was put into production in the late '90s, Hoskins had long been forgotten, and Claremont and others were exploring other actors for the character. First, Dougray Scott was confirmed for the character, but due to complications with another project and a shoulder injury, he was forced to step away. It was only at the last minute before production when Jackman was offered the role, but it turned out to be a lucrative change, as Hugh Jackman's Wolverine permanently changed the superhero genre - and the character of Wolverine himself.



Wolverine is described in Claremont's comics as a feral beast standing 5'3'' weighing around 300 pounds. Being a 5'6'', burly man with the talent to portray intense toughness and rage onscreen, Hoskins mirrored the version of Wolverine that had been described in the comics. On paper, Hoskins checked every box for what the character required, but because the project never came to fruition, Hoskins never had the chance to wield the claws. Nearly a decade after Claremont's initial pitch in 1990, X-Men went into production, and Bryan Singer opted to forego Wolverine's comic description by casting Hugh Jackman - creating an entirely new image for Logan, and taking the franchise in a direction that Hoskin's role wouldn't have been able to replicate.


Jackman would completely transform the character in the X-Men films. Instead of a short, feral animal, Wolverine became a tall, chiseled hero. A complete 180 from Hoskins, Jackman turned Wolverine turned into a mutant with a new power: sex appeal. With each new installment of the X-Men franchise, Jackman's Wolverine continued to evolve, packing on more muscle mass and serious definition. By the time X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released in 2009, Jackman had solidified the image of Wolverine as a shredded, angry beast who was as intimidating as he was a product of sex appeal. This Herculean physique, coupled with Jackman's height and good looks, propelled the success of the franchise as audiences flocked to theaters to watch Wolverine's appearance (and muscles) change and evolve with each movie.

This is not to say that Hoskins would not have given a good performance as Wolverine. He certainly would have given a performance that was appropriate to what the comics described. However, as Jackman's version of Wolverine became a sex symbol within popular culture. With Hoskins lacking the traditional leading-man masculinity by being a shorter, stockier individual, it's likely that audiences wouldn't have been as eager to return to watch Wolverine onscreen. With Jackman, the franchise capitalized on the sex appeal brought by Wolverine, helping it become one of the highest-grossing film series of all time. Had Hoskins taken the role instead, the series may still have done well, but surely not to the same level.

Bob Hoskins, talented as he was, wouldn't have made for an equally successful version of Wolverine if cast. Given that he was imagined for the role in the 1980s, off the back of the then-new comic books, it seemed logical to cast Hoskins in the role. He matched the height, appearance, and aggression that was needed to showcase Wolverine’s rage. In retrospect, however, had Hoskins taken the role, and Jackman never cast, the X-Men franchise would likely not have succeeded to the same extent. X-Men wouldn't be the same without the contribution of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and creating a taller, leaner, and more handsome hero that audiences can't get enough of.

[jo]

A past long interview with Hugh on the set of Days of Future Past -- on playing Wolverine over the years. Before LOGAN.


collider.com/hugh-jackman-x-men-days-of-future-past-interview/


Excerpts :

How do you feel you have evolved as a person, as a character throughout this entire run?

JACKMAN: A lot. And it's nice to have a touchstone like this, something to go back to all the time. Bryan has photos and I see photos of how I was and you see, 14 years ago after playing the same character, it seems a lifetime ago. And this character is very much the foundation, the spine of my career, so I can easily see how I've changed. I'd say I'm more confident- I was very much an actor based in the theatre when I got the job and I'd done some TV and film but I was more comfortable on the stage and I think that's equaled out for me as much, I've been lucky enough to have a number of shots at being in films. So I'm enjoying that as much and loving it. I've grown more confident and probably my appreciation for the character has grown. And that thing where you know there's a day when you're not going to be playing it, and that becomes clearer to you. I've been doing it for 14 years, so of course at some point I'm going to have to pass it on, so I guard it more jealously, I appreciate it more and I'm enjoying it more than ever. I think the last Wolverine movie was a script I could really get into and this one equally is something I've enjoyed as much as any of the others. I'm very chatty today, sorry! I'm giving long answers.

[jo]

Nov 19, 2021 5:12:29 GMT -5 jo said:

The social media noise is getting louder and louder -- but given Hugh's strong reluctance to go back to the Wolverine role/..and more importantly, given his involvement in The Music Man (booked though to July 31, but could be further extended given his original 1-year commitment)...it doesn't seem likely.

Jo

[jo]

Taron is a fine actor, but it is doubtful if he can give the same impression as Hugh Jackman's big screen presence.


Variety quotes James Mangold (director of Kate&Leopold/TheWolverine/Logan and assisted in post-production for The Greatest Showman) --

“He has such a humongous range,” says Mangold, who has worked with Jackman on three films. “He’s like a fine musical instrument. He can play comedy and go light, but he’s also capable of delivering a performance of tremendous power. He’s got this incredible masculinity and strength and the courage to throw that all away and do a musical on Broadway."

Hugh has made the big screen Wolverine role not just one of a loner but one also fully  capable of the leadership role among the XMen!

[jo]

[jo]

"Harry" used to run the then-popular website "Ain't It Cool News"

[jo]

It seems that every superhero franchise wants to find a way to have its own LOGAN.

Amazing that while LOGAN has been idealized as the best way to end a saga, The Greatest Showman has become a gold standard for movie musicals!

And it is quite a coincidence that while both were led by Hugh Jackman and released in the same year, they came from diametrically-opposite film genres

[njr]

^ That post by the ridiculously named “Condom bust” guy had me cringing with all his grammar and punctuation mistakes! 🙄

[jo]

oomu
@oomu
Un acteur plus teigneux, trapu, mais de teint mat ou bronze m'aurait peut être moins choqué au préalable que Hugh Jackman.

Mais Jackman a trouvé l'essence du personnage du comics, et ça fonctionne (tandis que jamais Cyclope n'aura été trouvé...)

Translated from French by Google --
A more nasty, stocky actor, but with a dull or bronze complexion, would perhaps have shocked me less beforehand than Hugh Jackman.

But Jackman has found the essence of the comic book character, and it works (while Cyclops has never been found...)

8:53 AM · Feb 8, 2022·Twitter Web App

[jo]

This is the right Wolverine

[jo]

[jo]

In that scene at the bar after winning the cage fight, Wolverine (as played by Hugh Jackman) established his superiority
immediately and forcefully, by sheer display of his physical strength and his intimidating face and manner. Doubtful or
even credible that a punier man ( about a foot shorterand a bit of a baby face) can equally intimidate those backwoodsmen.

Jo

[jo]

The rumors about Daniel Radcliffe being the next choice for Wolverine has occupied social media and film blogs for sometime now.

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/CbxP_5cL_11

[jo]