Hugh Jackman didn't tell his agent before committing to 'Deadpool & Wolverine': 'Oh, by the way...'
Hugh Jackman's shock Wolverine return took Marvel fans off guard when it was announced in 2022 — and his agent can probably relate.
In an interview with Fandango, the "X-Men" star recalled the moment he suddenly realized, while driving, that he was ready to play Wolverine again for the first time since 2017's "Logan." The actor immediately committed to joining Ryan Reynolds in "Deadpool & Wolverine," but he was so quick to jump into the project that he neglected to tell his own agent until after the fact.
"I was just driving, and literally just like a bolt of lightning came (with) this knowing, deep in my gut, that I wanted to do this film with Ryan (Reynolds), for Deadpool and Wolverine to come back together," he said.
Jackman added, "I literally couldn't wait to arrive. As soon as I arrived, I rang Ryan, and I just said, 'Let's do it.' I hadn't rung my agent. No one. I had to ring my agent and say, 'Oh, by the way, I've just committed to a movie."
For years beforehand, Jackman repeatedly said he would never return as Wolverine after the character died in the emotional conclusion of 2017's "Logan." So fans were shocked when Jackman and Reynolds announced that the next "Deadpool" film would feature Jackman's Wolverine teaming up with Reynolds' title character.
But in a 2022 YouTube video, Reynolds assured fans that the film won't undo Wolverine's death in "Logan." The trailers for "Deadpool & Wolverine" have seemingly suggested that Jackman will be playing a version of the character from an alternate universe, similar to the way that "Loki" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" have featured "variants" of established Marvel characters.
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Speaking to Fandango, Jackman stressed that he wasn't lying when he said he never planned to return as Wolverine, noting he "really thought" he was finished. But he added that since seeing the original "Deadpool" in 2016, he always felt there was potential for a movie pairing Deadpool and Wolverine.
"Sometimes in life, things come really clearly to you, and when that happens, I've learned you just jump," Jackman said. "You go for it."
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently told Empire that he, too, was initially skeptical about the idea of Jackman returning as Wolverine and even advised the actor against it.
"I said, 'Let me give you a piece of advice, Hugh. Don't come back,'" the producer recalled. "'You had the greatest ending in history with 'Logan.' That's not something we should undo.'"
Ryan Reynolds is 'proud' of Disney for letting 'Deadpool & Wolverine' be the first R-rated MCU film
"Deadpool & Wolverine" marks Deadpool's debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the first film in the Disney-owned superhero franchise with an R rating. The previous two "Deadpool" movies were both rated R but are not a part of the MCU because they were released by 20th Century Fox before Disney acquired the studio in 2019.
Speaking to Fandango, Reynolds praised Disney for allowing the "Deadpool" franchise to retain its signature adult humor and bloody violence.
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"I hope it doesn't sound condescending, (but) I'm really proud of them for doing this," the "Free Guy" star said. "I think it's a huge step for them. It adds a whole other color to this kaleidoscopic wheel that is that company and the different people that they have been entertaining forever."
Reynolds admitted he was "surprised" that Disney let the film "go as hard R" as they did, but he's "very grateful" because there's "no other way to do it."
"Deadpool & Wolverine" hits theaters on July 26. According to Fandango, the film had the best first day of pre-sales of any movie in 2024.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hugh Jackman committed to 'Deadpool & Wolverine' before telling agent
