The casting in 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men” movies has always been a mixed bag. Some choices were perfect in bringing the comic character to life – Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammar as Beast, etc. Others had their ups and downs – Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse (but really any actor would have struggled inside that makeup), etc. Then there were those in the middle – actors who didn’t really match the character on paper but still did well due to their acting strengths, like Sir Ian McKellan as Magneto and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.
Marvel first started trying to make an “X-Men” movie in the 1980s, more than a decade before it was released. In 1990, Stan Lee and longtime “X-Men” comic book writer Chris Claremont talked to James Cameron about directing the film, but Cameron was more interested in a “Spider-Man” movie (which also didn’t happen). While Claremont had a glimpse of an “X-Men” movie in mind, he had his own ideas for casting. He wrote X-Men from 1975 to 1991, creating the comics and characters from scratch, so his ideas (however unrealistic) came from a deep knowledge base.
For one thing, Claremont wanted Angela Bassett to play Storm. That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Especially in the late 80s/early 90s. Bassett not only has the screen presence and goddess-like looks to play Storm, she also has a contralto that can deliver lines like “Let them thunder, for I am lightning!”
By Clermont Confirmed many Times He also envisioned the late Bob Hoskins playing Wolverine. Yes, He Bob Hoskins, the burly 5’4″ British character actor best remembered for playing Eddie Valiant in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
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If you only know Wolverine as played by Hugh Jackman, this might sound weird. However, I think Hoskins would have been a great choice for Logan because of the way Claremont wrote him.
Hugh Jackman is perfect as Wolverine, even if he doesn’t look like him
I love Hugh Jackman as Logan. Even when the movies based around him are bad (like this year’s “Deadpool and Wolverine”), he takes the role seriously. Jackman’s ability to play an unhinged man even after 24 years is even more impressive considering he came from musical theater. However, it’s not just looks that match the character – he’s a foot taller (6’2) and way Even more handsome than Logan.
The comic Wolverine is a short, hairy, and pug-faced man, With the temperament and personality of a ferocious beast just like his namesake. His height is one reason for his name; wolverines are strong and ferocious predators, even though they are only the size of a bulldog. The same can be said of the mutant Wolverine. (This is why his archenemy Sabretooth always calls him “Runt.”)
Hoskins’ look was very similar to the Logan created by Dave Cockrum and John Byrne during Claremont’s early “X-Men” issues. Not only was he the right height, but his big pointed nose and pointed ears made him look like a human-sized wolf. It’s easy to see Logan’s spiky hair fitting Hoskins’ big forehead and widow’s peak, even though he had both Logan’s red eyes glow And Naughty smile Very.
Looks aren’t everything, though (see Mr. Jackman, mentioned above; everyone, including Claremont, thinks he nailed the role). Hoskins made his mark in the 1980s starring in British crime films, including “The Long Good Friday” and “Mona Lisa,” in which he played an angry Cockney-accented gangster. It was those pictures that made Claremont think Hoskins could play Logan. (“Don’t think ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Think ‘The Long Good Friday,'” Claremont said, explaining his desire Bleedingcool in 2010.)
Claremont saw in Bob Hoskins the Wolverine he had written for Marvel Comics
While being interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2017Claremont specifically cited the 1984 film “Lassiter,” in which Hoskins bumps into the 6’4″ Tom Selleck and looks like the bigger man:
“In one scene, Selleck arrives at the door [Hoskin’s] house and Hoskins takes one look at him and pulls him over and pushes Selleck back into the drive, yells ‘You came to my house?’ and just repeats that as he pushes Selleck back down the driveway and through the fence into the street. And the expression on Selleck’s face is “Holy sh*t!” And I thought, Bingo. This is Logan. That instant anger.”
Even Hoskins’ more comedic performance in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, in which he plays an angry man perturbed by the strangeness around him, matches how Logan often interacts with the other X-Men.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” describes Jackman’s Wolverine as the “anchor being” of his timeline; without him, everything falls apart. Ultimately, Jackman/Wolverine Was The face of the “X-Men” movies, taking center stage Both advertising And in almost every movie. I think one of the reasons for this was not just Jackman’s acting, but also that he It looks like As for what a leading man “should” be (tall, muscular, good-looking, and have warmth in his eyes and smile). Wolverine in the comics doesn’t do that, and neither does Hoskins (I’m not criticizing his looks, to be clear, but I think most people would agree that Jackman is more Traditional Beautiful). Perhaps if Wolverine in the movie had the face of a character actor he would have been a supporting character as he was meant to be?
Hoskins passed away in 2014, so he’ll never get the chance to wear the adamantium claws. While I think he’ll Definitely I’m not complaining that we got Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
