Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine in the highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. Seven years after he seemingly put the claws away for good in James Mangold’s spectacular superhero Western Logan, Jackman is back for one last round as everyone’s favorite mutant. Promoted as the long-overdue goodbye to the Fox X-Men movies before the mutants, hopefully, enter the MCU, Deadpool & Wolverine promises to be one of 2024’s biggest movies.
As Jackman prepares to say goodbye to the role — again — the question arises: who will play Logan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I, like every other person on the planet, love Jackman in the role, even if he isn’t exactly comic-book-accurate. However, a new day brings new opportunities, and as it turns out, several actors would be good choices to play Wolverine from now on. Ideally, the actor needs to be under 40, since the role would likely come with a multiyear contract, and under 5-feet, 5-inches tall. However, much like Wolverine himself, we’re adaptable. So, without further ado, here are five actors who would be great choices to play the mutant in the MCU.
Josh Hutcherson
You probably know Josh Hutcherson as the sweet and, it must be said, useless Peeta Mellark in the Hunger Games tetralogy. The 31-year-old actor, who’s been working since the mid-2000s and has a résumé twice as long as most actors his age, has spent his post-Hunger Games career mostly away from high-profile pictures, instead preferring to play freaky little dudes in freaky little pictures.
Well, what do you know, Wolverine is a freaky little dude. Indeed, there is a distinctively fiendish quality to Wolverine that Hutcherson could capture perfectly. As a vital bonus, Hutcherson is a perfect height, making him ideal to play the notoriously short character, which is crucial to me, a fellow short person. Now, Hutcherson looks much younger than I’d like, but he would still be quite an inspired choice to play the savage mutant.
While most others would favor Daniel Radcliffe, I think his most famous role might be inescapable, at least when it comes to playing another major pop culture character. Luckily, no one cares about Peeta, so Hutcherson is free to take on the role that actually cements him as a modern icon.
Calahan Skogman
If you’re one of the few people who actually bothered to watch Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, then you’re familiar with Calahan Skogman. The 31-year-old played Matthias Helvar in the short-lived fantasy series, instantly capturing hearts with his classic good looks and ability to portray the character’s tortured nature.
Skogman is the definition of a rising star; his résumé is short — it pretty much begins and ends with Shadow and Bone, plus a role in Kogonada’s upcoming film starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. However, he wouldn’t be the first up-and-comer that Marvel turned into an overnight sensation. At a mighty 6-feet, 4-inches tall, Skogman is far taller than the character, but Jackman is 6-feet, 2-inches tall, so it’s clear height is not an issue here. Plus, look at the picture above and tell us Skogman doesn’t have the Wolverine look down to a tee. Like, that’s Wolverine right there.
Dev Patel
Rising to prominence in the seminal British teen show Skins, Dev Patel became a household name in Hollywood thanks to his breakthrough role in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning drama Slumdog Millionaire. After years of consistent work, which includes an Oscar-nominated role in the 2016 biopic Lion, Patel has reinvented himself as a sober leading man with David Lowery’s exquisite medieval epic The Green Knight and an action hero with this year’s underappreciated Monkey Man.
Patel would be an unexpected, but much-appreciated choice for Wolverine. As one of Hollywood’s most respected young actors, Patel’s name isn’t strange to fan-casting — indeed, he’s been mentioned for everything, from Mister Fantastic to Batman. However, Wolverine might just be the right role for him. Monkey Man proved he has the necessary gruffness to play the brutal X-Man, and his highly regarded credentials would add considerable prestige to the project.
Jared Keeso
Every Canadian out there seems to be in agreement that Jared Keeso is the right choice to play the MCU’s Wolverine. Best known as the creator, writer, and star of the long-running sitcom Letterkenny, Keeso is currently starring in the show’s spinoff, Shoresy. Beyond these two series, Keeso’s film career includes roles in Neil Blomkamp’s Elysium and Xavier Dolan’s The Life and Death of John F. Donovan.
Letterkenny has pretty much been an eight-year audition for Wolverine. Indeed, Keeso’s Wayne shares multiple similarities with the mutant: he’s rough, gruff, strong, and incredibly intense, unafraid to get into a fight and punch his way through many, if not most, situations. A native Canadian, Keeso is 40, right at the edge of what I consider the limit to play a long-term Wolverine. However, he looks younger than his years, and if 55-year-old Jackman has proven anything, it’s that age really is just a number.
Cosmo Jarvis
Anyone who saw Hulu’s sensation Shōgun probably came out thinking two things: one, Hiroyuki Sanada will probably win an Emmy for this show, and two, Cosmo Jarvis just got himself cast in either a Marvel or DC project, whichever calls first. The 34-year-old rose to prominence with a role in Florence Pugh’s wicked period drama Lady Macbeth before stealing hearts as the only good part in Netflix’s terrible adaptation of Persuasion.
After Shōgun‘s success, Jarvis should have his pick of roles, and he should set his sights on the MCU because he would be a spectacular Wolverine. He is the right age and has the look, the talent, and the experience, considering his role in Shōgun has more than a few similarities with Logan. Jarvis seems to be at the cusp of stardom, and a role in the MCU would more than guarantee it. He is as perfect a choice as it gets, and Marvel President Kevin Feige would be wise to call him as soon as possible.
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