Zac Efron might take over the mantle of Wolverine from Hugh Jackman.
With the recently released Dark Phoenix marking the last of Fox Studios’ installments in the X-Men franchise, significant overhauls can be expected for the mutant realm considering that Marvel Studios now have ownership over the property.
Perhaps the X-Men’s most famous attraction, rumors about a potential on-screen replacement for Wolverine became rife after news about Disney’s potential acquisition of 21st Century Fox became apparent last year, with Zac Efron at the forefront of the discourse.
Fans of the franchise have since backed the rumored casting, given Efron’s ability to fulfill the standard of physical requirements set for the character by Jackman. Marvel’s reported intention to reboot the character with a younger actor that would be reminiscent of Wolverine’s early comic appearances. Similar to what they did with the casting of Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
But, they might not need to hire him.
Of course, Hugh Jackman made his intentions clear before the release of the critically-acclaimed Logan back in 2017, stating that the film would mark his final appearance as the character who’d defined much of his career. Nonetheless, the Australian superstar didn’t close the door on donning the role yet again, claiming in an interview with British publication The Independent that a potential crossover with the Avengers would reinvigorate his interest, and with that becoming a reality earlier this year, nothing can be ruled out.
Fox landed the rights to the X-Men canon in 1994.
Marvel Comics struggled through a turbulent financial period before the turn of the century, one which saw the publisher sell some of its most valuable assets to procure resources and stave away bankruptcy, including the X-Men and Spider-Man, which remains a property of Sony Pictures Entertainment. After discussions tabled in the last months of 2017, the Walt Disney Company confirmed a deal back in March to purchase 21st Century Fox for a sum of $71.3 billion after emerging victorious in a bidding war with telecommunications behemoth Comcast.