The time has come for Hugh Jackman to step aside, and let a new Wolverine join the Marvel movie universe. The producers of the X-Men series are leaving the door open to one day having Hugh Jackman play an old Logan, but with Marvel soon acquiring the rights to their comic book mutants, recasting a new, younger Wolverine is next… and we’ve got some actors in mind for the role.
Fans are guaranteed to have their own top choices in mind for the various versions of Wolverine (old, young, wild, heroic, etc.). We’re willing to rule out the chances that Keanu Reeves will play Marvel’s next Wolverine, assuming that the studio will wish to go with a slightly younger actor. So with that in mind, we’ve assembled our list of other actors who could be relied upon to fill Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine suit. Or a new movie costume, if that would make more sense.
6. Richard Madden
The widest audience may know him as Robb Stark from HBO’s Game of Thrones, but the “king in the north” has a lot more to his resume (and his future filmography) to consider for those who’ve yet to see him in another part. Reports that Ben Affleck was out as Batman, and a younger Bruce Wayne was being sought led Madden’s name to be thrown into the conversation, but we’re not convinced. Not that he’s up to the task… but that it’s not enough of a challenge.
Playing a handsome, charming, physically fit soldier in a war on crime? Madden could do that in his sleep, as his recent Golden Globe win as the Best Dramatic Actor in Bodyguard demonstrates. As a veteran assigned to a deadly detail at home, the BBC series is all we needed to see to agree with Madden’s own concerns that his good looks could distract from his efforts as an actor to be far more. Strong, skilled, and still unknown in a modern time period to mass American audiences? The rougher the adaptation of Wolverine being sought, the more likely Madden might be to sign on.
5. Taron Egerton
When word of Hugh Jackman’s last Wolverine performance began to sound more serious, and rumors claimed Fox may have already begun casting, the mention of Kingsman star Taron Egerton in the running for a new Cyclops took us by surprise. As we see it, he’d be an intriguing choice to pick up Jackman’s mantle. And as we learned when speaking with him while shooting Eddie The Eagle (in which he co-stars with Jackman), the idea has crossed his mind. Is he enough of an X-Men fan to take a shot at bulking up to play a younger Wolverine?
It may be time to get the phone ringing, Marvel.
[Laughs] I am a huge X-Men fan! My feeling about that is… I don’t know if I’m quite grizzly enough. My facial hair is still very thin and patchy. I feel someone who plays Wolverine potentially needs testosterone in abundance. Yeah, I’d love to have a go at it, but I don’t know. [Laughs] I don’t know. I was with Hugh the day that he announced his retirement from that role. I did joke about that very thing with him. But the phone hasn’t rang yet, my friend, so I don’t know.
4. Oscar Isaac
It’s hard to know just what the next iteration of the X-Men will be under Marvel, since a carbon copy or even tonal match to the Avengers may seem a bit unnecessary. But considering the real world themes and debates that the X-Men and Marvel mutants have dealt with in the past, there is a chance to make the property a more mature, or at least dramatic one as opposed to yet more action/adventure. And if that’s the direction Marvel decides to head, then few actors would sell the idea of a new, different take on the Wolverine than Oscar Isaac.
As Poe Dameron of the new Star Wars universe, Isaac has already demonstrated his ability to be both a smart-ass and a badass (both required for any incarnation of Wolverine). Not to mention showing that his Oscar caliber work doesn’t make him ‘above’ nostalgic, beloved brands. He’s already a member of the larger Disney family, so if the chance to carry on the Wolverine legacy appeals to him - perhaps with an equally intriguing director - we would love to see what results.
Page 2 of 2: Our Top 3 Picks For Marvel’s Wolverine
3. Zac Efron
It goes without saying that any actor - and we mean any actor - is guaranteed to have their critics claiming that they are all wrong for a particular role, no matter how talented. But if Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Heath Ledger’s Joker, and Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord don’t prove that comic fans need to keep an open mind, nothing will. Which is why we suggest Zac Efron for the part of a younger Logan knowing full well that only a percentage of the X-Men audience will see why he’s perfect for the role.
Setting aside the fact that there may be no other actor in Hollywood whose body actually looks like the Wolverine’s, the surprise can only work in Efron’s favor. After all, the director of the upcoming Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile has pointed to the same assumptions about Efron as the very reason he was his first choice. There is more to Efron than his High School Musical fans may think, and with the biopic already being called a career-changer, Marvel may finally take notice.
2. Robert Pattinson
Another name on our list who recently surfaced among comic book movie fans for the part of the new Batman, Robert Pattinson is also another young actor who has quietly demonstrated that he is much, much more than his most popular role. For many, he will forever be Edward Cullen, the desperately enamored vampire of the Twilight series. For fans of Comic-Con movies only, Pattinson has remained just that. For fans of smaller-scale, unexpected indie films, however… well, it turns out that Robert Pattinson was actually just playing a character in the Twilight series.
Crazy, we know. But his turns in Lost City of Z, Good Time, and Damsel have driven home just how high Pattinson is now aiming with his roles. And with his star guaranteed to rise once the science fiction High Life and medieval The King hit wide audiences, we would wonder if a role as a young Wolverine (whom he looks just like, let’s be honest) would even appeal to him. Hopefully, the upcoming period drama The Devil All The Time had his co-stars Tom Holland and Chris Evans convincing him that superhero movies might be appealing, too.
1. Jon Bernthal
We know, we know, he’s already The Punisher… but that’s not going to remain the case. After making a career delivering standout performances in supporting roles, Jon Bernthal showed he wasn’t just able to stand in the spotlight. He turned one of the most potentially one-note, unsympathetic, and frankly uninteresting Marvel vigilantes into one of the most layered, interesting, and incredibly violent comic book antiheroes we’ve seen on film. Getting us to root for him with every shot, punch, and slice, Jon Bernthal elevated The Punisher to new heights. As the Wolverine, we can’t even imagine what he could pull off.
As much as we would love to see Bernthal’s version of Frank Castle continue for countless seasons, the writing on the wall shows that it doesn’t matter how good The Punisher has gotten - Marvel is going to be canceling it. The good news is that the past also shows that Bernthal’s Punisher was never going to make the jump from Netflix to the MCU anyway. So if that role will be left to the past of Marvel’s larger legacy, we would argue Bernthal has demonstrated he is capable of a starring role in the MCU. To be totally honest, the Wolverine may be the only character hard enough for Bernthal to truly embody. So why would anybody get in his way?
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Be sure to let us know your own picks for the new Wolverine, and which actors you think could portray the X-Man in his earlier years–before the MCU makes him a full-blown superhero to rival the Avengers.
