When Marvel Studios finally get round to rebooting the X-Men and bringing them into their shared cinematic universe, they’d be much better off if the team didn’t feature Wolverine at all. After all, there’s literally hundreds of potential characters to choose from, and no matter who ends up being cast as Logan, they would always face comparisons to Hugh Jackman’s iconic tenure.
Jackman appeared as the adamantium-infused mutant numerous times over almost two decades in sequels, prequels and spinoffs, establishing his take on Wolverine as perhaps the single most iconic performance in the history of the comic book movie genre. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, and it would be a daunting task for any actor to try and follow in his footsteps. As such, the inevitable re-casting could well turn out to be a poisoned chalice.
However, that hasn’t stopped Tom Payne from throwing his hat into the ring. The 37 year-old, who spent four seasons playing Jesus on The Walking Dead, admitted in a recent interview that he would relish the chance to portray Wolverine, but he doesn’t sound so keen on the calorie count it would require to match the kind of shape that Jackman managed to get into.
“I’ve told you this before, but I think I could be a more height appropriate Wolverine. I think because I’m a smaller person. I can’t remember what episode it is, but there’s an episode of Prodigal Son where I wake up in my underwear and, as you can see, I can put the beef on. I can do it, definitely. Hugh Jackman, he’s so tall and big, he had to eat so much. It’s like Chris Hemsworth. You have to eat so much and spend so much money on food. I think it would have to work out a bit less but still, it’s a huge thing.”
Jackman recently revealed that if Disney’s takeover of Fox had happened several years earlier, then he would have loved the chance to share the screen with the members of the Avengers, but reiterated once again that his time as Wolverine is over. The part will be re-cast eventually, then, given the character’s name value and visibility, but it’s probably best to give the previous incarnation some time out of the spotlight before Marvel decide to name a permanent successor.