The Reason Hugh Jackman ALMOST Wasn't In X-Men
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Apr 1, 2025
Hugh Jackman almost wasn't originally cast in the role of Wolverine! Only a crazy series of events landed him the part of Wolverine in X-Men.
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some roles seem like they're tailor-made for specific actors
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Hugh Jackman and Wolverine seem to be a perfect example of this principle
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however that wasn't originally the case X-Men was released on July 14th 2000
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it arguably launched the established and rubric of the modern incarnation of the superhero movie
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Much of the success of the film has been attributed directly to Hugh Jackman's star-making turn as Logan
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However, as hard as it might be to believe, he was not the first actor cast as the part of the wandering Canadian without a memory
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Casting is everything. They say a director orchestrates their film almost completely in the casting of the characters
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Every film that truly succeeds does so off of the strengths of the performers at hand
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and their ability to disappear into their roles. In the movie business, the art of casting is an ephemeral dance between commercial realities and artistic integrity
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And then, sometimes, it's just a train wreck. And the fact that things turn out well is a miracle
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But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The X-Men's path to the silver screen was a long and circuitous one
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having been originally optioned by Orion, with a screenplay by Marvel stalwarts Jerry Conway and Roy Thomas
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The project eventually migrated over to Carol Co., where this version of the film would have seen Bob Hoskins playing Wolverine in a film produced by James Cameron and directed by Catherine Bigelow
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Yes, Bob, Super Mario Bros, Hoskins. This version obviously never happened. Their rights lapsed and they were picked up by Lauren Shuler Donner, wife of Superman, the motion picture director Richard Donner, and mega producer in her own right
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Thanks to the boom in popularity that the X-Men, the animated series, sparked, the X-Men quickly
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became a hot commodity around Hollywood. After many versions of the script
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by a revolving door of writers, Donner was able to get the project set up at Fox
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with a script by David Hayter and Bryan Singer in the director's chair. Are you going to have a problem taking orders I don know Give me one The film took a more grounded approach to the characters Joss Whedon even did a draft of the script at one point
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which Singer resoundingly rejected because he thought it was too funny. It was this grounded approach and emphasis
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on the large ensemble cast that proved to be a winning formula for Fox
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However, like with any ensemble cast picture, a compelling point of view character
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was essential to balancing the film correctly. With a cast of both exciting unknowns, award-winning actors, and acclaimed theater performers
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you could have practically picked any of the characters to lead the charge, and you'd have a highly watchable film. Unless you pick Storm, in which case..
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Senator Kelly is dead. Bryan Singer's casting of the film could have been wildly different if things had played out
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slightly closer to the original plan, believe it or not. The studio wanted Terrence Stamp for
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Magneto. A battle singer ultimately won. He ended up casting the apt pupil star Ian McKellen in the
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role. Prior to Halle Berry, the part of Aurora Monroe, aka Storm, had been offered to both Angela
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Bassett and Janet Jackson. The part of the X-Men's stoic leader Cyclops had been offered and accepted
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by Jim Caviezel. However, the future Passion of the Christ and Person of Interest star was forced
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to drop out at the last minute due to his prior commitment to a role in the now cult classic film
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frequency. He was obviously replaced by James Marsden, who was so perfectly cast in the part
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but never truly got his moment in the sun. And now, we're finally here. The role that would
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make or break the movie. The POV character with a tragic past, heart of gold, and knives for
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fingers. James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine. Singer, who had been enthralled by Russell Crowe's
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turn in LA Confidential, approached him for the role. Crow turned it down
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However, he did suggest a fellow Australian leading man type, Hugh Jackman, a suggestion
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that was met with a resounding, who? Prior to being cast as Wolverine, Jackman had appeared in a stage version of Oklahoma
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and some small reoccurring roles on Australian TV specifically as Duncan Jones in Snowy River The McGregor Saga and Kevin Jones in Corelli Despite having a knockout audition and screen test for the part Hugh Jackman was deemed as not a big enough star for the part
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and was passed over in favor of Duke Ray Scott. You don't like him? How could you tell
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Well, I am psychic, you know. Scott was most well-known at the time, and probably still is
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as the villain in Mission Impossible 2. Since that role, he's also been featured on the CW's Batwoman
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Hitman, and My Week with Marilyn. At the time, he was known for his brooding intensity
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tall, dark, and handsome good looks, and had a star that was decidedly on the rise
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This seemed like a perfect casting choice. Scott had dramatic chops to perfectly bring out
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our favorite survivor of the Weapon X project to life. There was only one problem
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Scott was already in production of MI2. And the production was experiencing wild delays
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and an unruly shooting experience for everyone involved. The budget on the picture had ballooned
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to well over $100 million, something that Paramount was desperately attempting to keep quiet
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As Singer and company were putting the pieces together for X-Men, this was all quietly snowballing in the background
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In order to meet their release date, Fox had no choice. They couldn't wait for Scott
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They had to start production and hope that MI2 troubles would have sorted themselves out by the time they needed
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the once and future Mr. Howlett on set. He said he wanted me
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I made a terrible mistake. X-Men began physical production on September 22, 1999
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with Scott scheduled to arrive October 18th in order to begin shooting his scenes
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On October 7th, Variety published a piece stating that Scott was still on set of MI2
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and that tragedy had struck. Scott had endured a significant shoulder injury
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He was still filming his part on MI2, but it was slowing production even further
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This sent the X-Men production into a tailspin. They were in the middle of making a movie and now they didn't have a main character
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After much internal deliberation and substantial back and forth attempting to get Paramount to commit to releasing Scott by October 18th
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Singer and company were forced to publicly announce that Dugray Scott would no longer be Wolverine
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They were moving on in the hopes of finding a new Wolverine to star in the picture for them Jackman was the runner for the part obviously But upon looking at his audition again and looking at the availability of the other actors in contention for the part there was no other choice
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In record time, the part was offered to Jackman. He agreed, and his deal was signed over a weekend
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with him immediately flying to set in order to begin rehearsals. Sorry
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You call that a landing? The set of X-Men was not a happy one
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Scott's dropping out of the picture cast a dark pole over the production. The stars all kept to themselves, and it was a very tension-filled experience
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Many of the stars, who are now close friends, have come out about the film's tumultuous production period
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saying that it was not quite a positive experience. Ultimately, pain is temporary and film is forever, though
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as the film proved to be a massive success, and Jackman's performance is often cited as a key contributing factor in that
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Casting truly is everything. There's an old adage that says nine-tenths of directing is casting
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A film's whole tone and aesthetic can be fundamentally altered by what actors are put into what roles
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The art of casting actors for specific roles, but then also casting the overall ensemble, is an art form in and unto itself
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Hugh Jackman's Wolverine truly is the heart and soul of the X-Men franchise
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His emotionally broken and brooding performance was an instant success. He perfectly captured what so many fans of the character had yearned to see on screen
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Yeah, sure, he was a good foot taller than Wolverine in the comics, but who cares
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He was perfect in every other way. He completely embodied the character. Cyclops, right
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You want to get out of my way? Without Jackman, the whole film could have fallen apart like a house of cards
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When discussing film, many critics yzed the choices and compositions the directors make
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the structure of the screenwriter, or even the acting choices of the performers
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But it's seldom that the act of casting itself is ever really looked at and evaluated
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Well, in Jackman's case, he might have been second runner up. But in the long run, he definitely came out on top
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Hey, hey, it's me. Prove it. You're a dick
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