Did Taron Egerton Just Tease Talks with Marvel About Playing Wolverine?
Fans don’t know how or when, but the X-Men are on their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When Disney acquired Fox, MCU fans knew it wasn’t a question of if but when. And the introduction of the multiverse has only further fueled anticipation for the inevitable X-Men reboot. Now one actor — Taron Egerton — heavily rumored to play Wolverine, has hinted he might be in the running.
Fans continue to speculate who could play Wolverine in the MCU
Of course, the X-Men universe is vast. But as the Fox movies demonstrated, not all mutants are created equal. Comic book readers might have their favorites. But Marvel needs to attract the attention of even casual moviegoers. This means the more popular mutants are probably those most likely to make their MCU debuts sooner rather than later. In short, Wolverine is poised to bring his adamantium claws to the big screen.
Hugh Jackman’s legendary take on the character — which spanned 17 years and nine movies — set a template for audience expectations. And though some fans might not be ready to accept it, Jackman is unlikely to reprise the role for anything more than a cameo. The most oft-cited replacement for the actor has been Tom Hardy. But at 44 years old, the MCU will probably skew younger in its casting of the new Wolverine. Could it be Taron Egerton?
Taron Egerton doesn’t deny rumors he’s up to play Wolverine
The 32-year-old actor already stars in the Kingsman franchise and earned a Golden Globe for Rocketman. So he has the dramatic and action chops to pull off a key MCU role like Wolverine. Egerton also worked with Jackman in Eddie the Eagle and has his support for the part. And at 5 foot, 9 inches, he’s much closer to the comics-accurate height for Logan. Now Egerton confirms he’s met with Marvel and had a coy response about his potential future in the MCU.
“I don’t think it would be wrong to say that,” Egerton told The New York Times regarding his hopes to play Wolverine in the upcoming X-Men reboot. “I’d be excited, but I’d be apprehensive as well because Hugh is so associated with the role that I’d wonder if it’d be very difficult for someone else to do it. But hopefully, if it does come around, they’ll give me a shot.”
The ‘X-Men’ are returning very soon in a new animated project
Marvel Studios doesn’t seem in a rush to bring the X-Men back to the big screen. That’s probably a wise move, given the terrible reviews and disastrous box office of both 2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix and 2020’s New Mutants, the final two Fox X-Men movies. But X-fans won’t have long to wait to see their favorite mutant heroes back in action.
Although an official release date has not been announced, X-Men ’97 should debut sometime in 2023. The animated series is a continuation of the fan-favorite X-Men series that ran from 1992 to 1997. With many of the same voice actors returning, the show looks to pick up the pieces where the earlier show left off. And it’s likely to be Marvel Studios’ first X-Men project.
