The Reason Hugh Jackman ALMOST Wasn't In X-Men

some roles seem like they're tailor-made for specific actors

Hugh Jackman and Wolverine seem to be a perfect example of this principle

however that wasn't originally the case X-Men was released on July 14th 2000

it arguably launched the established and rubric of the modern incarnation of the superhero movie

Much of the success of the film has been attributed directly to Hugh Jackman's star-making turn as Logan

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

Casting is everything. They say a director orchestrates their film almost completely in the casting of the characters

Every film that truly succeeds does so off of the strengths of the performers at hand

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

And then, sometimes, it's just a train wreck. And the fact that things turn out well is a miracle

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The X-Men's path to the silver screen was a long and circuitous one

having been originally optioned by Orion, with a screenplay by Marvel stalwarts Jerry Conway and Roy Thomas

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

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

Thanks to the boom in popularity that the X-Men, the animated series, sparked, the X-Men quickly

became a hot commodity around Hollywood. After many versions of the script

by a revolving door of writers, Donner was able to get the project set up at Fox

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

which Singer resoundingly rejected because he thought it was too funny. It was this grounded approach and emphasis

on the large ensemble cast that proved to be a winning formula for Fox

However, like with any ensemble cast picture, a compelling point of view character

was essential to balancing the film correctly. With a cast of both exciting unknowns, award-winning actors, and acclaimed theater performers

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..

Senator Kelly is dead. Bryan Singer's casting of the film could have been wildly different if things had played out

slightly closer to the original plan, believe it or not. The studio wanted Terrence Stamp for

Magneto. A battle singer ultimately won. He ended up casting the apt pupil star Ian McKellen in the

role. Prior to Halle Berry, the part of Aurora Monroe, aka Storm, had been offered to both Angela

Bassett and Janet Jackson. The part of the X-Men's stoic leader Cyclops had been offered and accepted

by Jim Caviezel. However, the future Passion of the Christ and Person of Interest star was forced

to drop out at the last minute due to his prior commitment to a role in the now cult classic film

frequency. He was obviously replaced by James Marsden, who was so perfectly cast in the part

but never truly got his moment in the sun. And now, we're finally here. The role that would

make or break the movie. The POV character with a tragic past, heart of gold, and knives for

fingers. James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine. Singer, who had been enthralled by Russell Crowe's

turn in LA Confidential, approached him for the role. Crow turned it down

However, he did suggest a fellow Australian leading man type, Hugh Jackman, a suggestion

that was met with a resounding, who? Prior to being cast as Wolverine, Jackman had appeared in a stage version of Oklahoma

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

and was passed over in favor of Duke Ray Scott. You don't like him? How could you tell

Well, I am psychic, you know. Scott was most well-known at the time, and probably still is

as the villain in Mission Impossible 2. Since that role, he's also been featured on the CW's Batwoman

Hitman, and My Week with Marilyn. At the time, he was known for his brooding intensity

tall, dark, and handsome good looks, and had a star that was decidedly on the rise

This seemed like a perfect casting choice. Scott had dramatic chops to perfectly bring out

our favorite survivor of the Weapon X project to life. There was only one problem

Scott was already in production of MI2. And the production was experiencing wild delays

and an unruly shooting experience for everyone involved. The budget on the picture had ballooned

to well over $100 million, something that Paramount was desperately attempting to keep quiet

As Singer and company were putting the pieces together for X-Men, this was all quietly snowballing in the background

In order to meet their release date, Fox had no choice. They couldn't wait for Scott

They had to start production and hope that MI2 troubles would have sorted themselves out by the time they needed

the once and future Mr. Howlett on set. He said he wanted me

I made a terrible mistake. X-Men began physical production on September 22, 1999

with Scott scheduled to arrive October 18th in order to begin shooting his scenes

On October 7th, Variety published a piece stating that Scott was still on set of MI2

and that tragedy had struck. Scott had endured a significant shoulder injury

He was still filming his part on MI2, but it was slowing production even further

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

After much internal deliberation and substantial back and forth attempting to get Paramount to commit to releasing Scott by October 18th

Singer and company were forced to publicly announce that Dugray Scott would no longer be Wolverine

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

In record time, the part was offered to Jackman. He agreed, and his deal was signed over a weekend

with him immediately flying to set in order to begin rehearsals. Sorry

You call that a landing? The set of X-Men was not a happy one

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

Many of the stars, who are now close friends, have come out about the film's tumultuous production period

saying that it was not quite a positive experience. Ultimately, pain is temporary and film is forever, though

as the film proved to be a massive success, and Jackman's performance is often cited as a key contributing factor in that

Casting truly is everything. There's an old adage that says nine-tenths of directing is casting

A film's whole tone and aesthetic can be fundamentally altered by what actors are put into what roles

The art of casting actors for specific roles, but then also casting the overall ensemble, is an art form in and unto itself

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine truly is the heart and soul of the X-Men franchise

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

Yeah, sure, he was a good foot taller than Wolverine in the comics, but who cares

He was perfect in every other way. He completely embodied the character. Cyclops, right

You want to get out of my way? Without Jackman, the whole film could have fallen apart like a house of cards

When discussing film, many critics yzed the choices and compositions the directors make

the structure of the screenwriter, or even the acting choices of the performers

But it's seldom that the act of casting itself is ever really looked at and evaluated

Well, in Jackman's case, he might have been second runner up. But in the long run, he definitely came out on top

Hey, hey, it's me. Prove it. You're a dick