X-Men - The Series (general; ALL the movies)

[njr]

That is NOT Patrick Stewart! The face looks just like Bryan Singer, especially the color one! That is why Bryan was so moved and used the phrase "very personal covers!"

Nancy

[njr]

I posted a comment on that site and noted that another poster agreed with me!

Nancy

[jo]

1999





2016

[jo]

1999









2016

http://instagram.com/p/BGoC0YqxDw3

[jo]

Hugh's parting gift to Bryan Singer has drawn a lot of internet ( and maybe even print media) coverage and interest. Cinemablend presents a more thoughtful analysis --

www.cinemablend.com/news/1562540/what-hugh-jackman-gave-bryan-singer-after-finishing-his-run-as-wolverine

Hey, I thought I had seen the Wolverine look somewhere but couldn't pin it down -- Cinemablend suggests it may have come from ORIGINS : WOLVERINE, which by itself suggests the origin of Hugh Jackman's fictional journey in the world of WOLVERINE!

Speculations continue to arise -- that, at some time in the future, Hugh may be persuaded to don the claws and the cigar once again, even if only for a cameo


Jo

[jo]

One of the most thoughtful feedback on the Cinemablend feature --

rex • 4 hours ago
I was skeptical when Jackman was first cast. At 6'2, he wasn't exactly "ripped from the pages," but he pulled it off in spades for almost 2 decades making me a true believer in the process. He brought an "everyman" quality to the role that, I feel, made the X-Men universe more accessible and relatable to the uninitiated even though he was a ripped to shreds mutant. One could even argue for Jackman being the sole bit of consistent continuity with regards to the X-Men films and I fully appreciate the commitment he's brought to the role. That said, if/when they recast the role, I'm really hoping the next guy is every bit as good a choice as Jackman, but a lot closer to 5'3".

[jo]

Was this image from ORIGINS : WOLVERINE what inspired the artwork re gift for Bryan Singer ?

http://instagram.com/p/BK_pGp_j1c_

[njr]

The many faces of Wolverine/Logan:



Nancy

[jo]

The dating is inconsistent - It started with the approximate age of Wolverine...then later on followed the movie release dates

Here's another retrospective posted a few days earlier ( actually the same as above except for the last entry) -- also with inconsistent dating.

Did the first XMen movie released in 2000 really take place in that year?  And so did the subsequent movies - did they also take place in the years indicated?

[jo]

The Wolverine adventures approximate timelines --


1845 - James Howlett (Origins)

1861 - American Civil War (Origins)

1917 - World War 1 (Origins)

1944 - World War 2 (Origins)

1945 - World War 2 (The Wolverine)

1963 - Recruiting the XMen (First Class)

1973 - The Past - Signing of Treaty ending the Vietnam War (Days of Future Past)

1975 - Somewhere in Africa ( Origins)

1980 - After escaping Stryker's Lab /Pursuit by Stryker's Men ( Origins)

1983 - Weapon X ( Apocalypse) -- * Inconsistent with Origins dating

2000 - Meeting the XMen ( XMen)

2003 - Fighting with the XMen ( Xmen: United)

2006 - More fighting with the XMen ( XMen : Last Stand)

2013 - In Alaska (The Wolverine)

2013 - At the funeral (The Wolverine)

2023 - The Future ( Days of Future Past)

*LOGAN is supposed to be happening in the future ( " well past" Days of Future Past, according to Mangold).

[jo]

One of the CEOs when the XMen franchise was launched and prospered a few years later was TOM ROTHMAN, who co-chaired the film unit with Jim Gianopulos. His last XMEN movie was ORIGINS: WOLVERINE ( and he had some infamous micro-management issues with director Gavin Hood)... He eventually transferred to TriStar and  then was elevated to CHAIRMAN for SONY.

It seems troubled waters followed him to SONY, allegedly because of his management style --

variety.com/2016/film/news/sony-executives-disillusioned-tom-rothman-1201904528/

[jo]

From the first XMen movie ?


Bryan Singer and the Wolverine costume --

[hughmanity]

Do you think this has the most likes of any of his posts so far?  425K

Oct 30, 2016 13:42:44 GMT -5 jo said:

The dating is inconsistent - It started with the approximate age of Wolverine...then later on followed the movie release dates

Here's another retrospective posted a few days earlier ( actually the same as above except for the last entry) -- also with inconsistent dating.

Did the first XMen movie released in 2000 really take place in that year?  And so did the subsequent movies - did they also take place in the years indicated?

[jo]

This was his champion post --

http://instagram.com/p/BIXXAnwDLPU

972.6 thousand views!


There were quite a few others beating the Wolverine retrospective, if you scroll down his gallery of Instagram uploads.


Jo

[jo]

This is for a theatre review of a Neil Simon play but he raises an issue which bear on Hugh Jackman's legacy as Wolverine --



www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/nov/02/why-burn-happy-memories/#

Theater Antireviews
Why burn happy memories?

By Ian Pike, Nov. 2, 2016


Lately, I’ve waded into murky, nostalgic waters more than I prefer. I blame the dwindling sunlight of the waning summer, something about the way the shorter days call out the ephemeral and fleeting nature of things. If an entire day can pass so quickly, what about a week? A year? A decade?

Yet, that very evanescence lends a certain gravity to the momentousness of all that happens in the blink of an eye. As life rushes by at breakneck speed, it’s amazing just how much breadth and substance gets packed in there while we aren’t paying particular attention; and sometimes a rearward perspective provides exactly the framework to understand things as they were.

North Coast Rep dives headlong into the nostalgia trip with its production of Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Watching the play is tantamount to sharing in Simon’s fond remembrance of his days writing for Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows, but the play has an uncommonly appreciative bent. Usually, wistful nostalgia occurs in the form of mourning the loss of the good old days. That’s the worst thing one can do to precious memories, and it’s the reason I try to avoid nostalgic reminiscence whenever possible. Why fuel the fires of present sadness by burning happy memories? But, in Laughter, I get the sense that Simon considered himself lucky to have been there for the end of an era — a phrase that is warranted here but that gets far too much vulgar currency.

Is it really the “end of an era” when Hugh Jackman will no longer play Wolverine in Marvel movies? How about when a baseball team fails to make the World Series?

Seems like a stretch.

To be fair, celebrity fanboys and sports writers need to overstate. They would have precious little to talk about if they didn’t aggrandize. I, along with Neil Simon, will reserve that sentiment for things that left an indelible mark on history.

Is it really the “end of an era” when Hugh Jackman will no longer play Wolverine in Marvel movies? 


Seems like a stretch.

He completely misses the point! Maybe because he may not really be a real fan of these movies which defined the Jackman era of Wolverine.

First, the first XMen movie redefined the moribund genre and  ushered in the most popular movie genre at the moment. But the success of that first movie was partly attributed to Jackman's very well-received interpretation of a beloved comicbook character, setting the tone for the rest of the franchise.

Maybe to some, the 17 years of Wolverine as played by Hugh Jackman, does not register as a defining era.

But if one were to look at it from the perspective of true fanboys who discovered the first movie when they were quite young -- the era represented to them all that happened during their childhood until they have reached maturity!


"You have been my childhood!"

This is a very common response to the news of LOGAN being the last of the Jackman Wolverine movies! And the XMen series does portray not just the evolution of the film Wolverine but also told many stories of the many mutants populating the long string of stories.   The issue of non-acceptance highlighted in some of the movies became associated with how the young fans faced their  own growing years!  Who knows what joys and angst were experienced then?

Also, see how so many men identify with Wolverine -- it is not just at Halloween, but one sees so many faux-Wolverine poses and copying of his image! Why -- because Wolverine is a person that many can identify with or try to physically emulate  -- a macho man ideal, so to speak.  An everyday Hercules! And when they see what Hugh Jackman has done to keep up with the physical requirements of the role -- that becomes a well-applauded act, too!

Maybe to non-comic book readers but  who have seen all the movies with Wolverine, such as those who are there because they are followers of Jackman's career -- one has become appreciative of how Hugh has shaped his career with a possible Wolverine movie lurking in his schedule often. We have grown to predict when this might happen based on his facial and the burgeoning muscles under the t-shirt 

To me personally, his Wolverine appearances added to the long-held admiration of his superb versatility as a performer/actor! I discovered him in musical theatre ( Oklahoma!) and came to appreciate a career that saw him in as many different roles as possible. I have even thought that his Wolverine fame paved the way for his other career accomplishments ( including the staging of THE BOY FROM OZ on Broadway -- they would have been skeptical about an Australian musical with an Australian actor on BROADWAY! No way!! But because he was Wolverine... )

This was an actor who could appear in most any film or stage genre! What a gift to fans!!

Each one will have his own set of memories identified with this time frame coinciding with the Jackman Wolverine era. It will be important to each one individually and not collectively.

Personally, there is a tinge of sadness that it is all over, save for that one last tale called LOGAN. But as I have noted earlier -- a door closes, another door opens elsewhere!


That is the beauty of the casting of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine! He is still Hugh Jackman... and never Wolverine ( or that would have left him with no other career forks in the road)! He is a very talented actor/performer that he may now have chosen to move on to the next phase of his career! On film and on stage!

They can recast the role... but can they recreate or get back the personal memories that defined the era for many fanboys and fans alike ?


Jo

[jo]

A soft reboot for the XMen franchise ?

www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/foxs-x-men-issues-jennifer-lawrence-unsigned-deadpool-defections-gambit-hold-945505

November 09, 2016 6:45am PT by Borys Kit
Fox's X-Men Issues: Jennifer Lawrence Unsigned, 'Deadpool' Defections, 'Gambit' on Hold



A reboot of the diminishing mutant movie series is in the works as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine heads for retirement and a studio's $4 billion franchise sits in flux.

With the summer release of X-Men: Apocalypse behind it and a Deadpool sequel hitting a speed bump, 20th Century Fox is finding its superhero franchise at another type of X: a crossroads.

Fox has had movie rights to Marvel's X-Men characters since the 1990s, well before Marvel became its own studio and Fox ostensibly launched the modern comic book movie with 2000's X-Men. But now, after some highs, lows and one reset (2011's X-Men: First Class), there are signs of wear and tear on a franchise that has grossed more than $4 billion.

Apocalypse, directed by Bryan Singer, earned $544 million worldwide, a sharp drop from the $748 million made by previous entry X-Men: Days of Future Past. What's more, stars Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Nicholas Hoult have come to the end of their three-picture contracts. If new studio chairman Stacey Snider wants them to return, they won't come cheap.

"You're gauged by the success of the franchise," says box-office analyst Paul Degarabedian. "This one didn't engender the love of previous movies. It's time to go back to the drawing board."

There are other signs of paint chipping as well. Fox's solidly performing Wolverine spinoff series winds down with Logan (March 3), which is meant to be the last of the Hugh Jackman-fronted movies. (The movie just released a trailer which insiders say was the most watched spot in the history of the X-Men franchise.)  In addition, Gambit, a solo spinoff movie to star Channing Tatum, failed to start production this year as planned and in August lost its director, Doug Liman.

And in perhaps the most unexpected development, Deadpool director Tim Miller pulled out of the sequel Oct. 22 after feuding with star Ryan Reynolds. (His composer Tom Holkenborg soon followed.) Deadpool was a surprise massive hit ($782.6 million) in February, so the studio has moved quickly to fill the sequel's director chair, with John Wick's David Leitch now in negotiations. And in a sign of how much faith it has in the Reynolds-starring franchise, Fox already is planning Deadpool 3, readying a filmmaker search for a storyline that will involve another X-team, X-Force, say sources.
 
Elsewhere, the reset button has been pressed. Sources say the flagship series will be reconfigured, with Simon Kinberg, overseer of the franchise as producer and writer, working on a new script. Singer, who directed four X-Men movies, will not be returning, according to insiders, but the script is being written with Lawrence, Fassbender and McAvoy optimistically in mind.

And after being on hold as Tatum shot Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, Gambit should move back into active development with a new filmmaker.

One of Fox's best hopes may be The New Mutants, a spinoff featuring superpowered teens with some overlap with the flagship X-Men. According to sources, director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) could even begin rolling cameras by spring.

But wasn't FIRST CLASS already a soft reboot? And wasn't APOCALYPSE an extension of that reboot?

Too bad age caught up with the original trilogy cast. Those actors had gravitas and real presence!

[jo]

We've seen this before...but --

This is how it all started. Not sure if this was the final reading with Bryan Singer after Dougray Scott bowed out from the role...or an earlier session with Singer --










How young he looked! This was probably after his stint in OKLAHOMA! ( What a blessing that the stage musical was filmed!). My one regret was that I did not visit the stagedoor when I saw him in London for the musical



Jo

[jo]

The old audition clip was resurrected by BACKSTAGE, a company that handles casting calls and auditions for new or experienced talent.

www.backstage.com/news/watch-hugh-jackman-audition-one-his-most-iconic-roles/

Over a decade has passed since Hugh Jackman got his American mainstream break playing Wolverine in “X-Men.” And he’s since gone on to deliver more stunning turns, from his Oscar-nominated Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables” to getting Emmy recognition for hosting the Tony Awards.

Reading here in 1999 for “X-Men” director Bryan Singer, we can already glimpse the gravitas Jackman would go on to bring to the role of the troubled and embittered Logan. Singer provides notes during the actor’s performance, allowing us a deeper look into the step-by-step crafting of a complex character. The 11-minute video is as entertaining as it is useful for actors seeking examples of how to successfully take direction.

"Over a decade..." -- it's more like almost 2 decades!

The clip has already had more than a million views/hits. Who would think that this audition would lead to one particular film role that spans 17 years and nine portrayals ( 3 solo spinoffs, 4 time movies, 2 cameos)?


One interesting postscript -- soon after the first XMen, Hugh portrayed a completely opposite character in KATE AND LEOPOLD ( and that was where his female fanbase all started ). Harvey Weinstein chose him, not likely because of XMEN, but because he saw Hugh in OKLAHOMA! in London! So did XMen producer Lauren Shuler Donner who persuaded Bryan Singer to take a look at Hugh Jackman's potential...And so did his longtime agent Patrick Whitesell who suggested to the stage star that a movie career could be right for him, too.


Jo

[jo]

An interesting sidelight to that first audition --

www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/hugh-jackman-oklahoma-nearly-blew-my-chances-of-playing-wolverine-9227755.html

Hugh Jackman: Oklahoma! nearly blew my chances of playing Wolverine
 
Tuesday 1 April 2014


Screen star: Hugh Jackman spoke at the official naming of Virgin’s new X-Men: Days of Future Past train
He has been playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies for 14 years. But Hugh Jackman has revealed a London stint in musical Oklahoma! almost scuppered his chances of being cast as the hero.

The 45-year-old star played the lead in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in 1998 — a role which first brought him fame outside his native Australia.

But the busy schedule of the Royal National Theatre’s production meant he struggled to attend his Hollywood audition for the 2000 movie X-Men.

He told the Standard: “While I was doing Oklahoma! I did my initial audition for X-Men in London. I went with a perm in my hair in between the matinée and the evening show. They basically said, ‘Interesting but lose the perm and the Southern cowboy accent’. That was 15 years ago.

“I almost lost the possibility of that job back then because I didn’t get cast until six months later.


“At my first audition they said, ‘We love you and want to bring you to America’. I said, ‘I can’t I’m doing a show’. They said, ‘Just take a show off’. I said, ‘You don’t understand — you can’t just take a show off, not for an audition!’

“They said fine — we’ll send you on Concorde. I remember being so thrilled.”

Jackman, who reprises his role as Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past, said he is still happy to take the Tube and the Subway, in New York, despite his A-list status.

He added: “It’s the best way to get around in terms of getting noticed, because no one expects you to get on a train. And also on the Subway and the Tube the internet doesn’t work, which is great.

“People go off in their little world and listen to music and read, and they look at you like, ‘Man, that guy looks like Hugh Jackman’. And so I never get bothered.

“Last time I went on a train it was about two weeks ago — I went on a class excursion with my daughter. Absolutely no-one spotted or stopped me. It’s either that or my career’s over...”

Hugh Jackman spoke at the official naming of Virgin’s new X-Men: Days of Future Past train, as part of Virgin Trains’ partnership with the new film.

Yet, it was OKLAHOMA! which indirectly opened Hollywood's doors for him ( Lauren Shuler Donner, Patrick Whitesell, Harvey Weinstein all saw him in the musical)! And indirectly, it also helped open the path to the Great White Way for him -- after Oklahoma!, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Company entrusted the role of Billy Bigelow to him in a concert staging of CAROUSEL for its Rodgers centenary celebration, held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This Wolverine could sing! And so a year later, he opened THE BOY FROM OZ on Broadway!

[jo]

Edward Scissorhands meets Wolverine

]Travis Chapman ‏@travispaints 4h
4 hours ago

Backyard haircuts… #JohnnyDepp #HughJackman #EdwardScissorhands #Wolverine

I saw that movie some time ago -- and thought it was weird to have sharp appendages like that .

Not knowing that eventually I wouldn't mind seeing another film character also looking almost frightening with his sharp claws...eight times to-date

[jo]

One of his first red carpet interviews for the first XMen film ( 2000) --




Too bad it is a very brief interview!



Jo

[jo]

I think, maybe, the real reason why Jackman is retiring from his iconic role as Wolverine is to get rid of the pesky Deadpool

comicbook.com/marvel/2016/11/29/ryan-reynolds-jokes-about-being-in-hugh-jackmans-shadow-on-twitt/

When Twitter user @missamerican1998 sent an innocent tweet to Hugh Jackman, she couldn’t have imagined how the event would turn. The fan shared a photo of some artwork she did of Wolverine and Deadpool with the Aussie actor, and he was all-too eager to respond. So, naturally, Reynolds answered the actor when Jackman called him out online.

Jackman started the exchange with his response to @missamerica1998. The actor wrote, “Awesome artwork though feel it would be better if [Ryan Reynolds] weren’t (always) lurking my shadow.” The fan-art does show Deadpool hanging close behind Wolverine, so some may dare say the mouthy merc is hanging on the grumpy mutant’s coattails.

Clearly, Reynolds is not one of those people. The actor then responded to Jackman’s tweet with the following message: “I’m not lurking in your shadow. I’m caressing its soft, shadowy fur."...

Hugh Jackman
Verified account
‏@realhughjackman
Hugh Jackman Retweeted Ren Naprstek
@missamerica1998 awesome artwork though feel it would be better if @vancityreynolds weren't (always) lurking in my shadow.

Ryan Reynolds
Verified account
‏@vancityreynolds
Ryan Reynolds Retweeted Hugh Jackman
I'm not lurking in your shadow. I'm caressing its soft, shadowy fur.

[jo]

This time MissAmerica1998 draws Wolverine solo

Ren Naprstek ‏@missamerica1998 3h
3 hours ago

@realhughjackman

[jo]

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman 30m
30 minutes ago

Stop w your begging. It's embarrassing even by your lowly standards. @deadpoolmovie @vancityreynolds for the WIN.

…

And with a longer message for Wade/Ryan --

http://instagram.com/p/BNf3sDWD8i9

[jo]

What should FOX do with its XMen franchise? Here's an analysis from the standpoint of stock investing ( in Fox shares) --

www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/03/should-fox-reboot-its-x-men-movie-franchise.html


Of note --

The most recent installment was also less favorably received by critics and audiences, and illustrated the weaker appeal of movies not built around the original cast -- particularly Hugh Jackman and his Wolverine character...