Hugh Jackman ‘Needs to Recharge’ After ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: It ‘Took Everything’ Out of Him
Hugh Jackman is enjoying the biggest hit of his prolific Hollywood career with Deadpool & Wolverine, but the lengthy movie shoot and vigorous publicity campaign has left the actor drained.
"It's the biggest hit he's ever had, and he'll get to make any movie he wants in the near future — that is Hugh's plan, to be sure — but make no mistake, Deadpool & Wolverine took everything out of Hugh," a source in the 55-year-old actor's world exclusively tells Closer.
The highly successful Marvel film, which costars Ryan Reynolds, was released July 26. However, it was in development for years, and it took an extraordinarily long time to film after production began in May 2023.
Shooting was suspended that July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and it resumed in November before finally wrapping up in January 2024.
According to the source, the Oscar nominee "gave this movie almost two full years of his life when you factor in the training, the strike-delayed shoot and of course all the marketing work he had to do."
For his 47-year-old costar, however, "That stuff comes naturally," says the source. "That's why Ryan led those efforts. But it's a lot harder for Hugh, especially at 55, to keep up."
Due to all the hard work put into Deadpool & Wolverine, "That's why you're not seeing him dive into another new project or franchise — or even another movie as Wolverine — just yet," the source explains. "Ryan Reynolds may be the Energizer Bunny, but Hugh is spent and needs to recharge his batteries. That's putting it mildly."
And now that the cash is coming in from the hit film, the Tony Award-winning actor is keen to invest the fortune in his Broadway career, a separate source recently told Closer.
Last month, it was revealed at the D23 convention that Disney Theatrical Group is behind a stage adaptation of the 2017 musical film The Greatest Showman, which starred Hugh as famed showman P. T. Barnum.
While Hugh isn't officially tied to the upcoming stage adaptation, the source said that "it's only because he personally hasn't closed his deal yet."
"Hugh is certain to be involved as a producer — and possibly a performer, as well — because he is the George Lucas of the Greatest Showman franchise," the insider said, noting how Hugh was the driving force behind getting the film, also starring A-list actors Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya, made.
The Greatest Showman "was something he initiated that nobody believed in, and it somehow became this massive phenomenon," said the source.
The biographical musical drama could eventually hit the Great White Way, and the Music Man star "is very interested in mounting" productions on Broadway, said the source.
"The good news is that Hugh's Deadpool & Wolverine windfall will be massive because he gets a profit participation in addition to his eight-figure, up-front salary," added the insider. "And the movie has performed better than any movie in the history of the X-Men franchise."
