Hugh Jackman is opening-up about saying goodbye to the character of Wolverine and the filming of his emotional final scene in 2017’s Logan.
Speaking with Anne Hathaway for Variety’s Actors on Actors issue, Jackman explained his decision to hang up the claws of the beloved mutant hero and retire from the role with the James Mangold directed film.
“There were so many crossovers by the end, because I’d played it for so long,” The actor said. “I knew it was going to be my last one way before we wrote it. I made that decision. There was a weight of expectation that I’d been carrying. I was super invested.”
Jackman went on to reveal the original plan for his final scene and recalled the turn of events that gave way to what ultimately served to bring his 17-year run as Wolverine to a close in the final cut of the film.
“I felt so in it,” Jackman added. “I was working with a director that I worked with three times before, who I trust implicitly, Jim Mangold. I remember when we shot that scene, we were shooting very high altitude, and there were thunderstorms going off everywhere, and we had to shut down. He just said, ‘We can’t do this big stunt scene. But we’re just going to do the death scene.’ I’m like, ‘Like, now?’ He goes, ‘I’m just going to have you and Dafne, and if you could just do that.’ I’m like, ‘All right.’ He knew that’s best for me.”
As of now, Jackman has no plans to reprise the role, despite many fans being hopeful that the actor will return with a reboot of the X-Men franchise looming now that Marvel Studios reacquired the rights to the characters.
Although Jackman has no intentions of returning for another outing as Wolverine and despite sending the character to his grave, Mangold recently shared his thoughts on the prospect of Jackman making another appearance as the Marvel hero, going as far to say he would be interested in the idea of it as long as it didn’t undermine Wolverine’s death in Logan.
Mangold also recently opened up about the choice to kill off the fan-favorite X-Men character and why he thought it was the right choice to bring an end to resolve the superhero’s storyline.
Here is the official synopsis for Logan:
In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.
Directed by James Mangold, Logan stars Hugh Jackman, Sir Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant, Eriq LaSalle, Elizabeth Rodriguez, and Boyd Holbrook.
Logan is now available on Digital HD, Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding James Mangold, Hugh Jackman, plus the future of Wolverine and the X-Men and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more great video content.
Source: Variety
