With FOX's X-Men movie universe coming to a close, fans are already anticipating how the Marvel Cinematic Universe will incorporate the mutants. One character in particular has been hyped up more than the rest: Wolverine.With both the X-Men's movie universe ending, and Hugh Jackman having already retired from his iconic portrayal of the character in 2017's Logan, it's only a matter of time before a new actor sports the adamantium claws. Supposedly, that actor may be Rocketman and Kingsman star Taron Egerton. But is there any truth to those rumors? And if there are, how would he even be in the role?
Egerton Denies Wolverine Casting
While the rumors persist and continue to be churned around the internet, the Egerton isn't so sure about playing Wolverine. This may be a rather coy denial meant to get people off of his trail. More than likely, however, it could just be an unfounded rumor that fans are casting a hot actor for fun.
Everyone from Keanu Reeves to Tom Hardy to Danny DeVito mentioned, not always seriously, to play Wolverine, but like those, this one simply seems like more speculation. Egerton doesn't reject the notion, though, mentioning that he would enjoy working with Marvel in any capacity in the future.
Millar 'Confirms' Egerton
Writer Mark Millar, whose credits include Ultimate X-Men and Old Man Logan, now insists that Taron Egerton will be the next on-screen Wolverine. The statement was made in response to Millar's apparent uncanny ability to predict the future:
Much of this situation could (and probably should) be looked at in jest, but there is some built-in credibility for Millar. Not only does he have creative ties to both X-Men and Kingsman, but he also wrote the landmark series The Ultimates for Marvel.
This groundbreaking reinvention of The Avengers was a huge inspiration for both 2012's The Avengers, as well as what had revitalized the team's popularity to earn them a movie. Add in his ties to Hollywood through Kingsman and other movies, and there's definitely a chance (however minute) that Millar has some inside information pointing to Egerton's casting.
Egerton's Wolverine - Does Size Matter?
One major criticism at the time of Hugh Jackman's casting was the actor's height. At 6-foot-2, he was a far cry from the far shorter Wolverine of the comics, whose diminutive 5-foot-3 frame is a notable feature. In fact, many of Jackman's scenes were shot from lower angles, while his co-stars wore platforms to create the illusion that he was shorter than he was. Taron Egerton, on the other hand, is only 5-foot-9. While he's by no means a smaller person, this would put him closer to the original Wolverine's height than Jackman was.
Egerton himself has remarked that he may not be "gruff enough" for the role, an image which that might not be hard to shake given his recent portrayal of Elton John of all people. Ironically, this role actually puts him in a similar situation to where Jackman was when he was cast. By the time was given the role of Wolverine in the first X-Men movie, Jackman had a filmography of mostly musicals and stage shows. This was another reason why fans were initially ambivalent to his casting. If Egerton were to be in a similar situation with his usual roles, it might endear fans to support his taking the mantle.
Egerton Can Capture The Wolverine Look
Changing certain comic book characters' appearances to match their on-screen counterparts is nothing new. In the '90s, Batman began wearing an all black costume like the one from the Tim Burton movies, while Superman was drawn to resemble Dean Cain around the time of his wedding in the comics. Wolverine was different in this regard, especially given how much Jackman defined the role.
Grant Morrison's popular (yet controversial) New X-Men comic book series was an obvious answer to the success of the Bryan Singer directed movies. Honing in on the themes of persecution that the movies had already lifted to the forefront of the franchise's narrative, it similarly downplayed more overtly superheroic elements. Most notably, it ditched the X-Men's garish costumes in favor of black leather fight suits resembling their uniforms in the movies.
While Wolverine was drawn as gruff as every by Frank Quitely in the series, later artists would gussy him up to more resemble "The sexiest man alive." Morrison himself intended this, remarking in the first trade of New X-Men that he wanted to include in readership "women who slavered over Hugh Jackman." Conversely, the comic book version would begin to exhibit the more powerful healing factor of the movie Wolverine, seemingly coming back from the most fatal of damage.
It remains to be seen how true these rumors are concerning Egerton playing the clawed Canuckle Head. Given that Kevin Feige has said the X-Men characters won't show soon, it is doubtful that casting has begun yet. Until further confirmation, all we have are Mark Millar's predictions and the hope-filled fan-casts of the internet.