Actor Hugh Jackman recently sat down with his Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) costar to talk all things movies, mental health, and their biggest roles to date. There, Jackman revealed why he gave up his iconic character of Logan in the X-Men film franchise.
Deadpool’s Journey to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
In 2009, Marvel Comics fan-favorite Deadpool made his live-action debut in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men series. Played by Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool, otherwise known as Wade Wilson, appeared alongside Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
While Hood’s movie proved to be a miss with critics, it didn’t stop Fox from pursuing both characters in more movies. For Jackman, he would go on to appear in James Mangold’s The Wolverine (2013) and Logan (2017). The latter officially wrapping up the trilogy.
In terms of Ryan Reynolds, the Hollywood actor would return in Deadpool (2016) and again in Deadpool 2 (2018) and Once Upon a Deadpool (2018). Soon, both the Merc with a Mouth and the mutant will return to the big screen in director Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine will mark the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of both the titular characters. The arrival of Deadpool and Wolverine comes five years after The Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox and many of its assets in 2019.
Upon the purchase, Iger said that they hoped to integrate the R-rated Deadpool into Disney’s MCU despite the fact that all other movies in Kevin Feige’s franchise are PG-13. The movie will be R-rated when it releases this July (even if Disney just altered the rating last minute).
There were already plans in the works for a Deadpool 3 and an X-Force spinoff, with writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese saying they hoped to keep Deadpool 3 small and personal while the X-Force movie would go on to expand Fox’s superhero universe.
Those would be scrapped though upon Disney’s acquisition. Shawn Levy even told Screen Rant earlier this year that Deadpool & Wolverine is firmly not Deadpool 3 but a “two-hander character adventure,” thanks to the inclusion of these two massive movie stars in their iconic roles.
So, as Ryan Reynolds–who recently appeared in Paramount’s If (2024)–and Hugh Jackman ready themselves for their highly-anticipated MCU debut, which could be a return to form for Marvel Studios, the pair recently sat down to interview the other with People.
Hugh Jackman Reveals Why He Left Wolverine Behind
In the interview, Jackman shared the reason why he left the X-Men franchise after Logan in 2017.
“I had got to the point probably 10 years ago I was like, I’m not enjoying it. It was hurting. It was tough,” Jackman told his close friend and co-star.
He added: “But I’ve had a break, and I’ve been doing a lot of dance. I’ve been doing stage shows. And so when I came back to it, it was really fun.”
The road to Deadpool & Wolverine was not straightforward. After Disney scrapped the X-Men slate that 20th Century Fox had started to develop, Marvel was looking at how to bring the X-Men into the MCU, as Kevin Feige recently confirmed. It was only after Reynolds pitched multiple different versions of the third Deadpool feature that things got moving.
Related: Marvel Star Officially Walks Away From Major Franchise, Makes Statement
Then Hugh Jackman joined and Shawn Levy said things moved quicker following him signing on.
Deadpool & Wolverine in the MCU
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to be a Multiversal adventure akin to Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Where Jon Watts’ third Spider-Man film brought in characters from the Sony universe, Deadpool & Wolverine will feature heroes and villains from across the Fox catalog.
Jennifer Garner will appear as Elektra Natchios, while Aaron Stanford will reprise his role as John Allerdyce, AKA Pyro. As seen by the official trailer, other characters that will be featured in the film include Lady Deathstrike and Azazel, both from entries in the X-Men series.
Matthew Macfadyen, who plays Time Variance Authority agent Mr. Paradox, and Emma Corrin, who plays Cassandra Nova, will make their MCU debuts alongside Reynolds and Jackman. In Marvel Comics, Cassandra Nova is the evil twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X, but Levy’s movie may take the character in a different direction.
The Multiversal elements don’t stop at the many cameos rumored for the movie. Over the last few months, reports have circulated suggesting that Deadpool & Wolverine will reboot the MCU.
Related: ‘Deadpool’ To Be Reshot After Details of “Mind-Blowing” Post-Credits Scene Emerge: Report
From mysterious elements like “The Anchor” to the inclusion of the TVA–which monitors the Sacred Timeline as seen in Loki–and Deadpool himself claiming that the “little cinematic universe is about to change forever.”
After the first teaser trailer, which aired during Super Bowl LVIII, excitement has been growing. Just earlier this month, it set a pre-sale ticket record for the highest number of pre-sale tickets sold for an R-rated movie, per Forbes.
This will most likely appease the executives at Marvel and Disney following Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels‘ (2023) disastrous box office performance last November. And as the MCU’s only feature film entry this year a lot of pressure is on Levy’s movie to succeed.
With two charismatic and beloved leads in the form of Reynolds and Jackman, Deadpool & Wolverine is seemingly on track for a stellar box office performance this summer and could reignite audience passion for the franchise–even if Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger believes superhero fatigue is not the problem…
Are you happy that Hugh Jackman returned as Wolverine despite walking away from the character years ago? Let us know in the comments down below!
This post Hugh Jackman Speaks Out on Leaving Marvel Behind After Disney Scrapped ‘Deadpool 3’ appeared first on Inside the Magic.
There will never be another wolverine replacment that could even come close to what Huge has done. I would be very disappointed if they even tried and probably wouldn’t watch who they chose to replace him.
Hugh Jackman will bring the MCU back again with one of the funniest man in movies, Ryan Reynolds. This will be historic and personally, Wolverine is one of the best characters that X-Men has and.bot seeing him in the franchise has frustrated many people.