After throwing himself into the role one last time in Logan, Hugh Jackman is almost certainly done playing Wolverine. In a recent interview with the New York Times, the actor acknowledged that “the character will go on” beyond him, saying, “Someone else will play it, for sure.” Jackman is aware that the franchise filmmaking machine will always be bigger than any single actor, and he claimed he’s fine with someone else taking on the role — “unless Daniel Day-Lewis plays him and wins the Oscar — then I might have a little problem.”
So with Logan coming into theaters soon, it’s time to start thinking about who might don the adamantium claws next. We’ve put together a few choices of our own, and we’d love to hear if you agree or if you have your own suggestion in the comments below.
Who should play Wolverine?
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Michiel Huisman
Game of Thrones’ current Daario Neharis would be my personal choice to take over as the new Logan. He’s got the look down (cool hair, solid beard), and outside of the HBO show, he’s essentially unknown - much like Jackman himself was when he first took on the part seventeen years ago.
Jake Gyllenhaal
After flirting with replacing Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man more than a decade ago, Gyllenhaal still hasn’t played a superhero on the big screen yet. He’s on a terrific streak of turning in great performances lately, and I think he’d be able to keep that streak alive playing a veteran Wolverine who the younger X-Men could look up to in future films.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Actors transferring from one superhero role to another hasn’t been a problem before (just ask Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds), so Marvel Studios’ former Quicksilver might be a nice choice to take over the claws. Taylor-Johnson has a haunted quality in his eyes that would best serve a character with a troubled past, and even though he’d be playing a younger version of Logan, the character would still have seen some shit at that point in his life.
Scott Eastwood
With a father as famous as his, Scott Eastwood has been in close proximity to greatness his whole life. But even though he’s broken out on his own over the past few years (with supporting parts in Suicide Squad and the upcoming The Fate of the Furious and Pacific Rim 2), he still hasn’t found the role that could define him as his own man. Wolverine might be just what he’s looking for.
Kit Harington
When Game of Thrones finally comes to a close (sob), the former Jon Snow will need a follow-up project. What better way for Kit Harington to keep his star power high than to step into another iconic part in an ongoing franchise? He’d definitely have to bulk up a little to play Wolverine, but remember, Jackman wasn’t always the jacked man he’s been over the past few years. Harington’s time training for the Night’s Watch would serve as a nice precursor of what he’d need to do to retain the ferocity of Logan.
Ben Foster
Since the X-Men continuity is already screwed anyway, why not take someone who used to play Angel and make him the new Wolverine? Ben Foster is the kind of actor who disappears into every part he plays, and looking at his work in movies like Lone Survivor and Hell or High Water, he’d be an unconventional but strong choice to lose himself in the complexities of James “Logan” Howlett.
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