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

[@maubraymzoma6616]

I totally forgot that Logan's real name is James Howlett. I can not imagine the X-Men movies without Hugh Jackman.

[@rogermorris9696]

I agree,and I feel sorry for the next actor to play him.

[@jamesearlcash7725]

He was good but it got old with every x-men movie being a wolverine vehicle. Going forward I think Scott Caan should be the next wolverine.

[@cyphus5]

Isn't his middle name "Logan"? So it's James Logan Howlett?

[@cyphus5]

@@jamesearlcash7725 eww, no. He's a terrible actor.

[@maubraymzoma6616]

@@cyphus5 I read somewhere that Logan is an alias he used when he killed a man named Logan to avoid suspicion of people finding out who he is.

[@HistoryDose]

Hugh Jackman is to to Wolverine as Robert Downey Jr. is to Iron Man. One of those inseparable from the actor roles.

[@LukeLovesRose]

Yes. Exactly

[@nathanchang7713]

Hugh IS WOLVERINE RDJ is just overrated.

[@Mrkevi123]

Meh, anyone can play Iron Man.

[@stevenebirim921]

@@Mrkevi123 nah not really

[@Barracuda-bi9ft]

Yuss!!

[@JustAPrinnyDood]

God, I feel the same way about James Marsden... I'd say he was the perfect role for Cyclops the same way Hugh was for Wolverine or Patrick Stewart with Professor X. He nailed Cyclops's serious demeanor that can also show a sense of humor at times. Such a shame they wasted his character, the leader of the X-Men, pushed to the back.

[@gabbar51ngh]

Every character James Marsden plays gets ditched eventually. Despite that I feel like he's perfect guy to play Hal Jordan in a lead if done well, however it's bit too late now. WB would most likely cast a younger guy.

[@yusufgazi7]

Don’t forget Ian McKellen and Magneto

[@duncandewar9885]

Marsden is the actor. Cyclops the role.

[@BoyNamedSue4]

He’s such a minor player in those movies I completely forgot he was in it.

[@stormwarden6012]

Cyclops became my favorite character the moment I started watching. Really wish we could see more of the character regardless of actor, although Marsden did absolutely amazing!

[@ikmnification5737]

I wonder if Jackman's coming in late actually helped the chemistry of the cast. Everyone has already been shooting, then you fly in this replacement guy they haven't been around; similar to the Xmen team and Wolverine's chemistry in the film.

[@navbuoy]

No different than what happened on the film Aliens with Michael Biehn - tense filming due to the director but cast and crew pulling together with a level-headed late addition.

[@hanibalking7841]

I understand he doesn’t want to play Logan anymore but no joke there isn’t a single person in this world who could pull off Logan as perfectly as Jackman did. We need a Logan and Deadpool meet up plz give us nerds that

[@AaronLitz]

There are plenty who could; you've only ever _seen_ one.

[@hennagan99]

Karl Urban would be perfect

[@emmanueldaniel3218]

Tom Hardy would be a good wolverine, he has right height and build even character

[@hennagan99]

@@emmanueldaniel3218 If Tom Hardy doesn't stop letting Sony keep d*ck slapping him with Venom then yeah maybe. Hard to take him seriously anymore. I used to love that guy before that satirical bubblegum crap.

[@yakuza01]

@@hennagan99 yeah but he was already in Thor Ragnarok

[@abdelali9279]

The best part is that we also got Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool so it's always funny seeing his character all obsessed with Wolverine thinking both Jackman and Reynolds are good friends too.

[@Nepthu]

Blech. Ryan Reynolds is all hype. He's good but not as amazing as everyone pretends.

[@OmniMale]

@@Nepthu no one is saying he is, unless it's the role of deadpool. I love the end of DP2 was him killing himself to "correct the time line"

[@logannottheonefrommarvel9917]

I honestly don't give a damn that Hugh was too tall to be Wolverine. Whoever is taking up the role now will have ENORMOUS shoes to fill as the character.

[@everythingdibs344]

I honestly couldn’t take the short angry man thing seriously so I’m glad they changed it

[@pajolee6918]

Not that big... he's only about an 11.... :D

[@AaronLitz]

Wolverine is short, squat, and hairy. He is _named after the animal_ that is short, squat, and hairy! Sorry, but the Hugh Jackman character you love is _not_ Wolverine, just a glossy Hollywood copy. I have nothing against Jackman, he seems like a nice guy, but he is _not_ like Wolverine at all.

[@pajolee6918]

@@AaronLitz He's the wrong height - that's all. He gets the attitude, the style, the whole lot right. I don't like him, but he was a brilliant Wolverine.

[@OmniMale]

Idk how many of you ppl don't know the comics and the character of marvels Wolverine. Wolverine is a much darker character. In the solo films, I felt Jackmans character was forced. But ppl. Saw the hair, beard and claws and said Wolverine. Logan is a dark brutal character. With all the cgi now a days, getting a short built guys would fit perfectly.

[@navbuoy]

When Jackman landed at Pearson International for his first audition. An airport attendant asked what his visit was for such a long flight from Australia? He told him he was auditioning for the X-Men movie. The attendant asked what part and Jackman wasn't even sure of the character and said 'a Wolverine?' The attendant immediately asked for his autograph even though he hadn't even gotten the part yet. With Jackman hanging it up now is the perfect time to give a talented unknown a chance to make them a star.

[@allanorme2093]

If this was the 90s she probobly watched X men TAS

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

You have to imagine Hugh himself would've made filming a little more enjoyable as the guy practically lights up any room he walks into. He's one of those people who be always on. An entertainer as much as an actor.

[@zenocrate4040]

And judging by hearsay, Dougray Scott isn’t quite the ray of affable sunshine to work with. So had things gone to plan that set might well have been even more uncomfortable as a working environment

[@JeannieLove]

I'm glad they got Jackman, the other choices would have been missing something. But can we talk about how David "Solid Snake" Hayter wrote the script?

[@DaveKatague]

Missing good writing and the correct level of Charisma

[@2Good2BeTrue45]

David Hayter is incredibly gifted in his craft, one of the most criminally underrated writers/directors in Hollywood and one if the greatest voice actors of all time. His Solid Snake defined a whole generation

[@freshboy3968]

@@2Good2BeTrue45 Ok, the last sentence is true but everything else goes a little over the board.

[@TheTrueInsanity03]

that Betty clip coming right after that casting actors bar just hit different

[@kjamlin]

I wonder why more people didn't notice that?

[@aceventurapetdetective2356]

You know when you have the right person cast when 20 years later, you still can't imagine anyone else in the role of Wolverine.

[@RedisNotaFlavor]

Angela Bassett as Storm would have been pretty amazing 😢

[@KD-xp2eo]

I’ve been saying this for years!!

[@camilogarciaylasaari1857]

I wanna see the alternate universes with Bob Hoskins as Wolverine and Terence Stamp as Magneto

[@illuminatiCorgi]

I miss Bob Hoskins sometimes 😔

[@slimjong-un5743]

foh

[@therookie5714]

I don’t I want Hugh Jackson wolverine only

[@artisticsolarninja]

Angela Bassett as storm

[@moxiemaxie3543]

That would have been terrible and may have ruined the trajectory of Super movies. He'd be seen a adaptation curse

[@unknown_goat302]

Russel Crow would’ve been a good second choice for the character but I can’t imagine Jackman not playing Wolverine

[@spenser9908]

Watch him in LA Confidential. He’s got Wolverine written all over him.

[@navbuoy]

Russell Crowe had the build and would have certainly nailed it! Dougray Scott had a similar build and the acting chops as well - just bad luck. A choice that came to me watching the movie Timeline was Gerard Butler - I just kept saying to myself 'My god, he's just like Wolverine?!'

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

I'd still love to see what Russell Crowe could've done with it. He'd be a tad closer to the physicality of Wolverine given he's about 5'9"-5'10" where Hugh Jackman is about 6'3". I'm not sure why but he looks even shorter in certain scenes in Gladiator. Might've just been the costume. If he packed on some muscle he'd make a pretty solid Wolverine. Having said all that it's hard to imagine anyone else in the part. I don't envy the casting director who eventually gets the job of trying to do so when they inevitably bring Wolverine into the MCU. There's rumour their going to give him a cameo in something just so fans get to see Hugh's version alongside the Avengers and as much as I would've liked to see that you're making the person casting and the next actor's job even harder by forcing them to directly follow the iconic performance instead of starting over with the previous version out of contention.

[@yakuza01]

I think the Marvel should take the opportunity to make their version of the character even rougher around the edges and closer to the comics. As much as I like Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine, he always seemed a bit too refined compared to the comic book character. Also, following in his footprints would just be futile. I always thought Emile Hirsch could be an interesting choice.

[@TheSylar1982]

They should give hugh is flowers more he literally saved that franchise and yeah he maybe a bit taller but he literally embodies logan and i hope he gets reprised when the mcu brings the xmen into the fold

[@MrBizteck]

Naa he's done with that role. He's said it several times.

[@JeannieLove]

@@MrBizteck Unless Ryan Reynolds can convince him

[@eggimage]

so where is the “firing” part? I don’t see in the video where any wolverine got “fired”.

[@bestlaptop_psn]

It's going to feel so weird when a new wolverine is casted

[@donle499]

Bob Hoskins incoming!

[@Dohsoda]

For all of the orginal trilogy's imperfections, the casting was great. Each of the actors really felt like their counterparts from the comics and cartoons. Despite any issues with the scripts, the essence of the characters were there on the screen.

[@Colty0]

I still feel as though X1 and X2 are wonderfully well written. Not perfect, but Hayter was great. Hayter had no part in X3 and it shows.

[@themcknox]

Finding out Snake co-wrote the script for the first film honestly blew my mind.

[@LavaChip]

David hayter who wrote the first X-men film is also the voice of solid snake!

[@xnsimmonsx]

Angela Bassett would’ve been awesome as storm.

[@pajolee6918]

She would have been so perfect - no offence to Halle, but she just wasn't storm at all.

[@randomcharacter6501]

I believe they would've given Angela more to do. She's too good of an actor to waste

[@xnsimmonsx]

@@randomcharacter6501 Her presents is so strong!

[@unstoppableExodia]

I love Halle Berry but Angela Basset would have been perfect for the role of storm

[@phatnana2379]

Yo! Don't disrespect Bob Hoskins!! He may not be anywhere NEAR a good choice for Wolverine but... "A Long Good Friday" is one of the best movies ever made! Bob Hoskins is a damn treasure!

[@hansbraga_]

angela basset as storm would’ve been EPIC.

[@victorpena5217]

It hurts to know that Hugh Jackman will eventually be recast as wolverine. I'm sure that he is not only my wolverine of choice, but the wolverine if choice for a few generations. Whoever picks up the role next has some very big shoes to fill.

[@ryanswaynow]

“tall dark and handsome good looks” Sorry but if the first word used to describe an actor is “tall” then they are wrong for the part of wolverine.

[@bgschannel9357]

I literally couldn't imagine a universe where Hugh Jackman does not play Wolverine and Christian Bale does not play Batman.

[@patrynize]

I mean. We’ve already had two batmen since bale, and a third Batman which is the second Batman coming back.

[@alejandromolinac]

Huh?….. you must be a child….

[@thinkinginsideout4053]

And Dwayne "the rock" Johnson as himself. 😂

[@jaschabull2365]

But does Adam West still play him in this hypothetical universe?

[@calcifur]

Bob Hoskins wouldve been significantly more accurate. It's odd that Jackman changed the character in the consciousness

[@LukeLovesRose]

We need the MCU to bring Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine through the multiverse only to introduce his more comic book accurate replacement. After 17 years perfecting the role, Hugh deserves to be acknowledged for the great Wolverine that he is

[@Carabas72]

I'm pretty sure that Jackman is pretty much universally acknowledged to be a really great Wolverine. But he has no desire to reprise the role and subject himself to another decade of keeping up a superhero workout routine.

[@biguy617]

Now he is too old

[@LukeLovesRose]

Wow. You cant be real fans if you dont love the idea of the MCU acknowledging Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. If he made a surprise appearance in the multiverse, audiences would lose their minds more than Spider-Man: NWH

[@Carabas72]

@@LukeLovesRose I am absolutely not a fan of the Fox X-Verse. And I definitely do not want those stories to continue. I like stories about the X-Men, not stories about just Charles, Eric, and Logan. Plus the guy is on record as not even wanting to come back. He might do a cameo, but he's not coming back as "the" MCU Wolverine. Plus Marvel have already said that they're not interested in Fox's take on the characters. "Logan", the first Deadpool, and maybe "First Class" were the only good films in that franchise.

[@LukeLovesRose]

@@Carabas72 Wow. What an ignorant opinion

[@josephinegrant8941]

I always thought Danny Devito should've played Wolverine.

[@sanddagger36]

7:22 I love this scene of Ian Mckellen talking to Rebecca Romijn. They are far apart in age and seem like they have nothing in common, but they were the two leading villains of the movie so they obviously became good friends.

[@Wico90YT]

I know he wouldn't want another mega franchise, but I'd love to see Daniel Radcliffe as the MCU Wolverine, if he bulked up. Give me a short, bulky Logan and not another 6'1 dude.

[@comicguy4417]

"fired"?? Excuse me, do you even know the meaning of the word "fired"?? Hugh Jackman wasn't "fired", he opted out on his own. There's a f*ckin HUGE DIFFERENCE.

[@DuelScreen]

Bob Hoskins is a good actor. SMB was a bad script. He was also the lead in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[@rhocat362]

He was fabulous in Roger Rabbit...

[@markchapman6800]

That does rather contradict the repeated assertion that casting is everything. X3 had the near perfect actor to play Kitty Pryde, but because of the script and direction, it was still bad.

[@u.g.3298]

And remember that Hugh Jackman is Logan, to cast another person now is simply a lost cause.

[@bradybrady7893]

Just wanna say I love film and tv and you videos really inspire me and also teach me a lot about the shows and movies

[@deathsdoor07]

I would change the word "fired" to "replace".

[@soapthesoap]

So you're telling me that Javert was almost Wolverine but turned the role down and suggested Valjean? Dope.

[@gabbar51ngh]

The x men movies completely shafted Cyclops & obviously pushed Wolverine because he's pretty much the money-maker. Hopefully we get a decent Cyclops in the MCU version.

[@mcurran6505]

Could you please do a video on how Chris Evans got a second chance to star in another Marvel film.

[@aliminator1310]

Happy New Year, Nerdstalgic!!

[@isaidwhatIsaid86]

Honestly looking back they could’ve gotten someone stronger for Cyclops. James was cool and all but he didn’t really have that Leader quality Cyclops has.

[@denverarnold6210]

Your title is misleading. He can't be fired if he wasn't hired. And being passed up meant he wasn't hired (until he eventually was, of course.)

[@DuelScreen]

Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn. Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman. Tom Hiddleston is Loki. There are maybe more than a few but I'm not complaining. We've been blessed with many great performances in recent years.

[@Carabas72]

Gadot really looks great as Wonder woman, but she doesn't really have the range required, and it shows in every scene that requires a bit more depth.

[@professorbaxtercarelessdre1075]

amazing to think how much time it took them to choose the right person, and how it could've turned out had someone else gotten the role

[@maubraymzoma6616]

I totally forgot that Logan's real name is James Howlett

[@zachmcmullen2741]

I wasn't ready for Betty White to be here, and with the claws!

[@Vercalos]

I'm pretty sure that Bob Hoskins would rather be remembered for *Who Framed Roger Rabbit,* or even *Hook,* over the *Super Mario Brothers* film.

[@TamMcilhargey1]

Interesting fact: 2:04 This Is THE David Haytor that voiced Solid Snake In Metal Gear Solid 1-4 👍.

[@Atariese]

While i don't deny that Logan was a lead, i always considered Rogue as the audience surrogate. I like to think we were the naive ones that the world was being explained to, not the amnesiac that the plot was trying to convince there are good people and bad people in the world. With an ensemble like X-men you can and should have multiple perspectives. Now this shifted later in the series as we understood what mutants were and the motives in the major players... but i just don't want to have a discussion that talks about X3.

[@smacksaw]

Man that was really good. I knew these things, but the way you told it was great

[@ImBarelyMe]

Did I hear it started filming in September 99 and released July 2000? Damn how fast were films filmed??! 😭

[@johnallen6039]

a cast of unknowns, cut to academy award winner anna paquin.

[@TheSSUltimateGoku]

Without Hugh Jackman there’s no way I see Wolverine being played by the same actor this long. Even some of the best actor performances for superhero characters have always ultimately led to recasting or reboot. Hugh Jackman is the only one that has played a superhero character the entire cinematic history of that character. There’s only been one definitive cinematic Wolverine and that’s Hugh Jackman. (not counting the recent variance)

[@mcvenne8935]

"Exciting unknowns" *shows an Oscar winner

[@TheGreatSteve]

Janet Jackson would have been brilliant. I noticed a while ago that whenever Halle Berry is anything I don't buy her character, I just think "Oh look it's Halle Berry".

[@noahverstynen8091]

Shout out to Betty white. You used a clip with her. She just died today.

[@Rambl3On]

When you said “exciting unknowns” for Anna Paquin I laughed a little. She already had an academy award at that point. Lol

[@AustinH7]

Always weird to know that Solid Snake wrote the script for X men

[@VSauce6]

Rest in peace Betty White

[@QueenJosephineOfTheNorth]

watch Bob Hoskins in Mona Lisa and imagine him bringing that to Wolverine. Hugh is great obviously but Bob wouldn't have been a bad choice in the early 90s.

[@Venus-yt8dd]

Who else uses to think wolverines name was just X-man

[@BassMatriX]

I kinda wish we could have seen that Bob Hoskins Logan, though.

[@Whalewraith]

I wish the director of 'welcome to Racoon city' could have seen you talk about casting.

[@arturocastroverde3349]

Hugh is one of the reasons of the movies success

[@r.hewlin8328]

I remember reading all about this in a Wizard magazine back in the day...

[@jeremycarl2401]

2:37 I'm not sure if the editing is intentional or not, but Anna Paquin was an Oscar winner and received almost top billing, so not exactly an unknown.

[@Astro]

Yo this video had Betty white before it was announced she died.. 🪦

[@mangaloveranix8412]

Don't forget, Hugh Jackman will be in Deadpool 3 in the MCU with Ryan Reynolds. It will be a rated-R multiversal movie, I think.

[@whitesox162]

8:06 vintage Logan

[@Gonk]

Ty for letting me know that they did offer Angela Bassit the role, she would have been PERFECT for Storm, I just wonder if she passed on it or they chose Halle over her?

[@biguy617]

She passed on it because she felt the part was beneath her. Yes she would have been perfect

[@NathanielWinkelmann]

Just want to point out that when the first X-men movie came out the whole James Howlett thing wouldn't be revealed for and other year in the 2001 miniseries ORIGIN.

[@MarkLaw13]

That being said Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will easily be forgot if the next actor wears the right costume and it looks good

[@aqidahmedansari5930]

Milo Gibson is the Next Wolverine after Hugh Jackman...Probably an alternate Variant of Wolverine in the MCU

[@reagenlionel]

Wait what? Did I miss something? Never caught on why he was fired, sounded more he was just a second choice that never got signed on to be fired to begin with until the end when the first choice couldn't make it.

[@joebove4]

Dishonest title writing to make you click.

[@j.j.q1379]

yeah thats why i thought too. its sad when they do a trick.

[@fikieyd6929]

the title of the video is pointed out to the first choice to play the role of wolverine.....Hugh Jackman is their second choice and not originally the wolverine that production plan out to choose.

[@reagenlionel]

@@fikieyd6929 a second choice doesnt mean fired though. I got the point of the video, the title doesnt relay what actually happened, which is the question here.

[@MagicalWellecto92]

The "exciting unknowns" line while looking at Anna Paquin, you know she won an Oscar she was 11 right?? Can't be that unknown

[@chris34ce]

Excuse me give credit to Blade without Blade their wouldn’t be Marvel as we know it today b/c Marvel was going Bankrupt …. Blade is the main reason why Marvel is a success now

[@dongeonmaster8547]

Wolverine should never have been the main character in the ensemble cast of the X-Men. Hugh Jackman did a good job but without Jackman or Wolverine the movies could have still been good. Also, "Who cares" that Jackman is a foot taller than the comic book character? The comic book fans, that's who. I agree Hugh nailed Logan's character but aesthetically size matters. CGI the X-Men films to correct the discrepancy and see if it feels the same. Also cover Jackman with more bulk and more body hair. Starting to feel less appealing? Good. You're on the right track.

[@thefunshow2024]

Wolverine was originally offered to Russell Crowe. Which would've been amazing.

[@steviedism]

why doesn't blade ever get the deserved credit for starting the comic book movie as we know it

[@AlidarJarok1]

I was going to say the same. Blade at the time help save Marvel and set the state for X-Men and ever thing else that came after. But most people seem to ignore it.

[@davidwhatsthatabout7404]

@0:37 every resident in Ontario after a hockey game

[@liamers]

Did the style of nerdstalgic change? This felt very 'watchmojo' like

[@davesworld7961]

I had never heard of Hugh Jackman before watching X-Men. For a minute I was like Dang is that Gary Sinise wtf? I heard recently Gary was considered for the part.

[@vagabondsirius]

Didn't Glenn Danzig "almost" played Wolverine?

[@garypoisson2733]

Why wouldn't you pick Storm for the front character in the film? Storm was arguably the main character of Chris Claremont's original X-Men run, likely the most influential run in modern comics outside of the Lee / Kirby Fantastic Four. Just because she was written badly in Singer's X-Men doesn't mean she had to be.

[@dustyhills8911]

You can't say an actor is "tall" and that he's perfect to play Wolverine in the same sentence. Come on now. Just give us a damn Wolverine that fits the source material characterization. Hugh Jackman made the best of that role but I still think he was wrong for it.

[@shoobsinator]

7:34 Seeing Betty White here and realising that this video came out the day she passed away 😞

[@spenser9908]

Russell Crowe of that era would’ve been the absolute perfect Wolverine. Jackman is too much of a Harrison Ford type. He was still awesome though.

[@devilgamer-rr8639]

Hugh Jackman truly is a huge jack man

[@zacharywilliams9708]

0:09 this always grossed me out

[@Blondie472]

X-Men casting we never got to see.. Tom Cruise-Cyclops, Angela Bassett-Storm, Rutger Hauer-Magneto, Kurt Russel-Wolverine, Arnold Shwartzenegger-Colossus, Famke Janson-Mystique, Sunny Landham-Warpath, Rupert Everett-Nightcrawler, Clancy Brown-Sabretooth, Warwick Davis-Toad, Ron Pearlman-Beast

[@JnEricsonx]

I gotta say though that Kelsey Grammar just FITS Beast.

[@Blondie472]

@@JnEricsonx He was perfect. Many of these casts were phenomenal. Fassbender, Jackman, Stamos.. I'm just listing the great alternatives we'll never see. Maybe..

[@Mrkevi123]

@7:15 Rest in peace Betty White Wolverine.

[@jualove3178]

Scenes I’d like Bob Hoskins to perform just for a hoot: 1. The scene from Apocalypse where Logan kills everyone at that secret base (sorry I forgot the name). 2. The opening to Logan with the guys who try to steal Logan’s car 3. And finally the scene where Logan tears ass through the woods murdering ever last fucker in his path.

[@Craxin01]

I don't know. Bob Hoskins definitely looked like Wolverine from the comics, including his physical height, when they wanted him. Hugh Jackman definitely made the character feel more real. ESPECIALLY in his swan song portrayal during the movie Logan.

[@CrystalClearNews]

ththe cat licking Wolverine's claws! The cat would have cut his/her tongue.

[@CastleBlackWatches]

7:34 RIP

[@lootwigvanwegen]

Was there a small dog barking when you recorded your voiceover?!

[@FaintinglifeJBS]

Not suprised Joss Whedon gave a pitch at a funny skit instead of a grounded movie.