‘X-Men’ Comic Writer Originally Wanted Bob Hoskins As Wolverine; Talks…

'X-Men' comic book writer Chris Claremont discusses Hugh Jackman's legacy as Wolverine and rumors that he originally wanted Bob Hoskins to play the role.

Logan Wolverine
While Logan will mark Hugh Jackman’s final appearance as the titular hero, Wolverine had a long comic book history before Jackman accepted the role and will likely continue to do so long after he retires. One of the many writers to contribute to the character’s comic book history was Chris Claremont, who wrote X-Men comics from the late 70s through to the early 90s, including classic stories such as Days of Future Past and The Dark Phoenix Saga. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Claremont discussed Hugh Jackman’s legacy as Logan and addressed rumors that he originally wanted the late Bob Hoskins to play the role.

Claremont discussed how Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Logan will become synonymous with the comic book character much in the same way Harrison Ford is regarded as the only actor capable of playing Indiana Jones.

“To me, it’s like falling in love with the film version of him as much as I did with the short guy from the comic books. It is very hard for me to think of Logan without thinking of Hugh Jackman and I have no idea who out there could take over from him if they moved ahead. It’s like thinking of anyone other than Harrison Ford playing Han Solo or Indiana Jones. The actor is so bound up with the character in this instance, that I don’t really want to think about it that way. Maybe in five years, or ten years, they could come up with somebody new and it would be brilliant, but for me Hugh is Logan. As much in his own way that Patrick Stewart is Charlie. Yes, I acknowledge James McAvoy, yes I acknowledge Michael Fassbender, but to me it’s Stewart and Ian McKellan. They’re the guys. But, if you gotta go, this is the way to do it.

Claremount discussed the rumor that he had originally envisioned Bob Hoskins in the role of Wolverine, explaining why he considered the late actor suitable for the character.

“Well, that’s a perception of the medium in 1988. At the same time, when I was looking at the pairing of Ororo [X-Men’s Storm] and Logan, to me it seemed perfectly rational to have Angela Bassett and Bob Hoskins, because the image I had of Hoskins was from the films he made in England where they emphasized, in terms of his character, the harshness, the Cockney, the brutality of him. There was a film he did called Lassiter with Tom Selleck, and if you look at the two of them together, Tom Selleck is this six-foot-plus powerful, handsome, glorious leading man and Hoskins is this little cop. In one scene, Selleck comes to the door of [Hoskin’s] house and Hoskins takes one look at him and hauls off and shoves Selleck back down the drive, yelling ‘You come to my house?’ and just repeating it over and over as he shoves Selleck back down the path and through the fence out onto the street. And the expression on Selleck’s face is ‘Holy Shit!”‘ and I thought, bingo. That is Logan. That instant rage.”

You can read the full interview, including Claremont’s comments on his favorite Wolverine film appearance and a potential Deadpool team-up film, by clicking here.

While few would doubt the talent of Bob Hoskins and perhaps even consider him to more closely resemble the short, stocky version of Wolverine depicted in the comics, Hugh Jackman’s near two-decade run as the popular X-Men hero has undoubtedly earned what many would consider an irreplaceable place in their hearts.

Logan will be released in theaters on March 3, 2017.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Sebastian Peris

Sebastian Peris

Canadian film buff, political junkie, comic book geek, and board game enthusiast.