Inside Wolverine’s claw-marked comeback
HUGH JACKMAN answers Empire’s burning questions about his big return to Marvel
14 AUGUST 2022. That was the day that Hugh Jackman decided he wanted to return as Wolverine. After 2017’s Logan had seemingly wrapped up the adamantium-clawed mutant’s story with supreme satisfaction — and despite a tongue-in-cheek appearance in the Deadpool 2 credits sting — the comeback was as surprising for Jackman as it was for fans. “For five years, I was really honest when I said, ‘I’m never playing that part again, I promise you,’” he tells Empire, having batted off repeated pleas from Ryan Reynolds for him to return. “And it was August 14. I remember driving and it just came to me like that. I just thought this would be so much fun.”
The fun Jackman is referring to is Deadpool 3, the latest instalment in the ‘Merc with a mouth’ franchise, which sees Shawn Levy step behind the camera and, in front of it, Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, sharing the screen with Jackman’s Wolverine for a proper team-up. While their characters had a violent showdown in 2009’s X-men Origins: Wolverine (that film’s take on Deadpool was significantly more serious), their onscreen dynamic this time sounds more playful. “They hate each other,” Jackman laughs. “[Logan] is annoyed by him. Frustrated by him. Wants to be a million miles away from him. Unfortunately, he can’t be a million miles away from him in this movie. He’s the fast-talking, quick-witted loudmouth and my character just wants to punch him in the head.”
The script for Deadpool 3 is still being written, although Marvel head Kevin Feige has confirmed that the foul-mouthed fourth-wallbreaker will be officially joining the MCU for the first time following Fox and Disney’s merger. And while this does mean that Logan, the character’s perfect send-off, will no longer be the final appearance for Jackman’s take on Wolverine, writer-director James Mangold has given the surprise resurrection his blessing. “He was actually really cool about it,” says Jackman. “I did tell him it takes place before our movie, so I wasn’t going to screw it up with my claws coming out of the grave. He was relieved by that.”
Of course, becoming Wolverine again after a five-year hiatus requires more than just a little not-so-friendly banter. It puts the 54-year-old Jackman back on the brutally demanding training regime required to slip back into the character’s skin and ensure he looks the part once filming begins in the summer. “I’m doing eight shows a week right now,” he says, referring to The Music Man, which he’s been headlining on Broadway since 2021. “So I’m only lifting weights, like, three times a week. But I’ll be getting into once or twice a day, as soon as this is done. And I’ll have six months to prep.”
After Deadpool 3, Jackman may finally be done with Wolverine (again) — “I imagine every movie is a one and done,” he says. Yet he tells us not to take too seriously rumours that his Eddie The Eagle co-star Taron Egerton will be taking up the mantle, despite Edgerton meeting with Kevin Feige recently, and publicly expressing interest in the role. “Taron is one of the most talented actors out there. And you can see his range is incredible. But he’s just got to cool his heels a little bit,” the star laughs. Jackman may not be hanging up the claws yet, bub.
DEADPOOL 3 IS IN CINEMAS FROM 8 NOVEMBER 2024