Daniel Radcliffe Denies Persistent Wolverine Casting Rumor Whilst Strapped To A Literal Lie Detector: “Flattered, But No”

As soon as it was revealed that Marvel Studios would end up getting the “X-Men” film rights reverted back them in the wake of Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, there has been an oddball fan campaign online to get “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe (A well-known short actor) to take over the Wolverine role from Hugh Jackman (Appearing as Logan in “Deadpool 3”).

Well, despite the actor himself debunking various casting rumors over the years, he’s now been strapped to a lie detector for Vanity Fair(See video below) and was asked again about his potential casting as the iconic Canadian mutant by his fellow “Merrily We Roll Along” cast members Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. As expected, the British actor denied it, again, adding that his recent buffness seen in the latest season of his comedy series “Miracle Workers” has nothing to do with being courted to play Wolverine by Marvel. When directly asked if he started the Wolverine rumor himself he responded with a clear, “No.”

“Yes. I got buff because I am obsessive, and I want to… You’ve seen my parents, they’re like insane fitness people. So that’s just been passed on. But no. No Wolverine. Flattered, but no,” Radcliffe stated.

This wouldn’t be the first time the actor has been connected to an MCU role as “online rumors” once claimed he was in the running to play Mark Spector, aka, Moon Knight, and was another rumor he had to deny multiple times in interviews.

Still, I’ll be holding out for more likely/suitable contenders such as Austin Butler (“Dune: Part Two”) Jeremy Allen (“The Bear,” “Iron Claw”), and Paul Mescal (“Gladiator 2”) to get a crack at the role of one of the most popular Marvel Comics characters. While I’m warming up to the idea of Taron Egerton doing it, I feel like there are plenty of others already doing action that could put the claws on too. Just hiring an actor because they’re short is a bit of the ridiculous fan asks applied to the new Wolverine, but likely won’t be a real make-or-break requirement of the studio for casting given this role is going to become a mainstay in the MCU for the next decade or more. Given that Marvel is reportedly only just meeting with screenwriters for “X-Men” it’s unlikely that we’ll see the new Wolverine actor anytime, despite any online rumors concerning what will or not show up in “Deadpool 3.”

SOURCE: VANITY FAIR

‘X-Men’ Reboot: Marvel Studios Reportedly To Hear Pitches From Writers Soon

With “Deadpool 3” (Hugh Jackman finally in the Wolverine suit) expected to resume production once the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved, it looks like Marvel Studios is aiming to get their “X-Men” reboot going as well with the WGA strike ended we’re now expected to see various writers meet with the studio and figure out how exactly to tackle mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of “Deadpool 3” (expected to deal with the Foxverse/Singerverse).

Without naming any screenwriting contenders or what the film could possibly be about, Deadline has given us the first real hint that development on the reboot is in the works. Stating that Marvel will be taking pitch meetings for writers this fall with the tease of a potential announcement by early 2024 of who they’ve selected.

Keep in mind, that nearly all Marvel films go through multiple drafts and rounds of writers. So, in theory, whoever ends up getting announced first might not be the person working on the shooting draft or final version of the script.

What the mutant lineup ends up looking like is unknown and if the upcoming animated series “X-Men ’97” (a continuation of the Fox Kids series from the 1990s) will have a direct connection to it. Previously, the “What-If…?” animated series gave us Captain Peggy Carter, who got her live-action debut in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.”

Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, aka, Deadpool is expected to make the major leap into the main MCU as previously announced when Disney acquired the X-Men rights after gobbling up 21st Century Fox. However, it isn’t clear if anyone from the previous “Deadpool” movies or the upcoming one will be making the jump with him. Marvel Studios is now in a unique position to get comic-accurate versions of their characters on the big screen by erasing all the mistakes of the Singerverse as director Bryan Singer and producer Simon Kinberg took plenty of liberties with the characters to the point some of them didn’t match with their comic book counterparts in any real way other than their powers.

Starting fresh with a brand-new cast of actors seems like the best plan of attack here.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

‘Deadpool 3’: Shawn Levy Says R-Rated Sequel With Wolverine Is Descendant Of ‘Midnight Run’ & ’48 Hours’

One of the many films that were in the middle of filming before the Hollywood strikes impacted productions and placed them on hiatus was “Deadpool 3.” It will be the first big “X-Men” movie made by Marvel Studios after acquiring the franchise during the events of Disney’s merger with 21st Century and there were some high expectations when it landed a Marvel-level budget. When it was revealed that Hugh Jackman would be reprising the Wolverine role after giving a perfect send-off to the character in “Logan” there were some skeptical fans worried. Jackman has since tried to ease the nerves of die-hards by saying the film takes place before those events.

Director Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), who has recently worked with Ryan Reynolds on “The Adam Project” and “Free Guy,” was tapped to helm the film that had been shooting in the United Kingdom. He’s now talking about the film with Deadline and says the sequel is “very much an R-rated film,” reiterating every single other person from Disney or Marvel when speaking publicly about “Deadpool 3.”

“I’ll say this while making [‘Deadpool 3’], I only know how to make something that I love. Long before I loved Ryan Reynolds, I loved ‘Deadpool.’ ‘Deadpool 1’ is, to me, a perfect movie and so I wasn’t going to mess with the DNA of that franchise. Our movie is raw, its audacious, very much R-rated. We went to great lengths not to shoot it on soundstages with digital environments,” Levy said of the new sequel.

The filmmaker also suggested what films he’d compare “Deadpool 3″ to, I would say it’s more a descendant of ‘Mightnight Run,” and “48 Hours,” and “Planes, Trains & Automobiles.” I guess this means that Reynolds finally got his road trip Deadpool movie with Wolverine, which was said to be the original concept of his idea back when Fox was developing the film.

Filming isn’t expected to resume until the strikes have been resolved and with no end in sight, that likely means that fans should be preparing themselves for a release delay on a bunch of upcoming films, including “Deadpool 3” and other Marvel projects.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Keanu Reeves Still Laments Not Landing Wolverine Role In Original ‘X-Men’ Film

X-Men fans are excited that Aussie actor Hugh Jackman is returning to play Wolverine one more time with Deadpool 3 giving the actor a second chance to say goodbye after previously having a deeply emotion death scene in Logan. It also gives director Shawn Levy an excuse to give Fox’s Singerverse a proper send-off after the franchise previously ended with thud during the wake of Disney acquiring 21st Century Fox. Jackman landing the beloved mutant part in the late 1990s is of the more interesting Hollywood stories as the mostly unknown stage actor had some stiff competition but ultimately landed the part once Scottish Dougray Scott had to exit the superhero flick to focus on John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2. One of those more notable contenders that was in the mix was Canadian actor Keanu Reeves after having starred in the wildly popular cyberpunk flick The Matrix.

Today, during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session to promote the upcoming release of John Wick 4, Reeves reaffirmed losing out to Jackman for the Wolverine role in the original X-Men films was something his still laments.

When directly asked by a fan were any roles he regrets turning down the actor said, “No…but I did always want to play Wolverine.”

It’s a little heartbreaking to hear that over 20 years later that Reeves still considers it the one that got away. Also, a bit ironic that Reeves didn’t get the part since X-Men shot in Toronto, a city where he grew up, and Fox decided to pick an Australian to play a Canadian character.

Reeves is now pushing 60 and just is too long in the tooth to be playing the main version of Wolverine in the MCU once the studio actually hard-reboots the X-Men franchise after Deadpool 3 releases. The actor has been keen to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe since and studio head Kevin Feige has reiterated they’ve been trying to find a role for him multiple times. It does feel like he’ll end up finding something other than Wolverine and we’ll just have to wait to see that is.

SOURCE: REDDIT AMA

Marvel’s ‘Deadpool 3’ Confirmed To Shoot In The United Kingdom

Marvel Studios is getting ready to begin shooting their first big mutant project since landing the X-Men rights after the big merger between Disney and 21st Century Fox. With Deadpool 3 finally moving forward after early development back during the Fox era, we’ll get to see might be the end of the Singerverse and the third installment becoming the big swan-song with Hugh Jackman reprising the Wolverine one last time (before the main X-Men reboot at Marvel) with rumblings of other Singerverse actors possibly making their return too.

Back in October, The Ronin first learned that filming on Deadpool 3 would be taking place in the United Kingdom (a big pivot as the last two installments shot in Reynolds’ hometown of Vancouver) and this has now been confirmed via The Hollywood Reporter in an article about another upcoming project, Boy Band, as part of their breakdown of the actor’s upcoming filming schedule. Where they name London as the main location for Deadpool 3 as cameras are said to be gearing up to roll sometime in the spring.

Of course, there have been all sorts of theories of how Marvel Studios will ultimately bring Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson into the hardline MCU (616 Universe), but we’ll have to wait a bit for real confirmation about the film’s story. One of the more mysterious elements of the film is the casting of Emma Corrin (Nosferatu, The Crown) as the film’s unnamed villain.

Deadpool 3, which if you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last five years has been confirmed to be getting an R-rating multiple times by everyone involved with the superhero pic and has a release date set for November 8, 2024. However, given how theatrical releases change all the time, it’s possible the project could be bumped into early 2025.

‘Deadpool 3’: Emma Corrin Tapped To Play Villain In MCU Sequel

While we’re excited to see what Marvel’s X-Men reboot will end up looking like, fans will have to wait a bit longer for that. Meanwhile, we’ll be exploring the Singerverse/Fox era one more time with Deadpool 3 (title subject to change) set to bring back not only Ryan Reynolds‘ Wade Wilson but the funny man was able to finally able coax Hugh Jackman out of Wolverine retirement to dawn the claws one more time. It’ll technically become the first official mutant film to release in theaters.

We finally have our first big new casting addition thanks to a report from Deadline. They have revealed that British actress Emma Corrin (The Crown) has been selected to play the sequel’s villain. There is an expectation that filming on the pic that will be helmed by Shawn Leavy (The Adam Project, Stranger Things) will take place in the United Kingdom.

However, there aren’t any character details being mentioned making hard to know for sure if Corrin is playing someone established in X-Men mythology or someone new. There are plenty of female villains that Corrin could be playing such as Spiral, Death, Raven/Mystique, Emma Frost, and Mister Sinister’s cohort Madelyne Prior aka The Goblin Queen. Then again, they could be attempting a new villain or a combination of them from the comics.

Deadpool 3 is officially set to be released on November 8, 2025 and has long been confirmed by Disney/Marvel it’ll indeed keep it’s R-rating, like the previous installments with have a heap of extreme violence and cussing. It’ll be the first of the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects to skew for more mature audiences.

Reynolds, a producer and creative force on the franchise, has officially welcomed Corrin to the Deadpool family with an public post on his Twitter account that you can see below.

SOURCE: DEADLINE/RYAN REYNOLDS

Russo Brothers Still “Open” To MCU Return & Comment On Tackling Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ Reboot 

The Russo Brothers have been behind directing four major Marvel Studios releases Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Giving the studio a combined global box office total of $6.7 billion and some of the biggest hits the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had, so far. 

Having the Russos return is certainly in the cards given their success.

You might remember back when the drama between Disney brass and actress Scarlett Johansson over money in the wake of Black Widow being released last year when the Russo Brothers were revealed to have been in talks with the studio to return for a mystery project. Despite talking up the idea of getting their hands on the new Wolverine or adapting a huge crossover event like Secret Wars, we still don’t know for sure what exactly they would direct if they’d come back to the MCU. 

While speaking with the Associated Press (See video interview below), they were asked about returning and also potentially tackling their highly-anticipated X-Men reboot. Joe Russo, of course, reminds us he has a copy of the Hulk comic where Wolverine made his first appearance and suggested once Kevin Feige was ready to pursue an X-Men film, they’d be game to be involved in shaping a new take on the mutant team. 

“Wolverine being so essential to the ‘X-Men,’ of course, that would be a fun project to work on and find a new way into it. But I do think that’s probably something [Kevin Fegie] has rightfully put aside for a while to introduce some new characters to the world and bring that back when it’s ready.”

The duo isn’t hurting for project ideas, they’re about to release the massive Netflix action flick The Gray Man this month and are already set to bring their sci-fi film The Electric State, starring Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) to Netflix. Also, there are early plans to make a direct sequel to The Gray Man and a spinoff prequel featuring Chris Evans’ character, Lloyd Hansen. Not to mention other things like a live-action film based on the anime Battle of The Planets and a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair with Michael B. Jordan attached in the lead role.

On the X-Men front, it seems that Shawn Levy’s Deadpool 3 starring Ryan Reynolds is the only big mutant project the studio is ready to confirm at the moment. However, between announcements incoming at San Diego Comic-Con later this month and D23 Expo in September, we could learn about Phase 5 and X-Men plans very soon. 

Brtish actor Taron Egerton had recently stated he’d be keen to play the new Wolverine incarnation after revealing he’s met with Marvel Studios for an unnamed role/project.

SOURCE: AP

Taron Egerton Has Met With Marvel’s Kevin Feige For Mystery Project & Wants To Play Wolverine Succeeding Pal Hugh Jackman 

Hugh Jackman’s tenure as Wolverine has had its ups and lows, thankfully, the Aussie actor got to give his beloved X-Men anti-hero a perfect send-off with James Mangold’s Logan and has since retired the role leaving the stage for the next actor to pick up the claws. Jackman once gave his support to a pre-Venom Tom Hardy to play the next Wolverine, but it looks like someone closer to him might end up landing the role. 

His Eddie The Eagle co-star Taron Egerton has been a fan favorite to be recast as the Canadian X-Men member and has previously brushed off casting rumors over the last couple of years. However, during a recent interview with The New York Times, he revealed a mystery meeting with Marvel’s Kevin Feige but wasn’t clear what it was for (outlets making the leap it was about Wolverine without the actor naming role/project). 

Separately, at the same time, Egerton said it would be a challenge but is game to succeed his friend as the next actor to play Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

“I don’t think it would be wrong to say that,” Egerton said of taking on the Wolverine 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.” He paused, then flashed a grin. “But hopefully, if it does come around, they’ll give me a shot.”

Wolverine is a huge crossover character and also had his own film trilogy, which means whoever ends up playing him might be signing on for multiple films and television series on Disney+ meaning their commitment might have to be similar to Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani, who has her own series (expected to get a Season 2 announcement soon) but also has a major role in The Marvels. 

While Deadpool 3 is expected to be the first big mutant project post-merger with Shawn Levy set to direct the R-rated film with Ryan Reynolds carrying over as Wade Wilson, the plans for the X-Men reboot haven’t been fully revealed by the studio and likely won’t happen before 2025.  There is some hope Marvel will reveal their X-Men plans at Comic-Con or at D23 Expo.

Keanu Reeves Says “It Would Be An Honor” To Join The MCU

Canadian actor Keanu Reeves is having a bit of a second career bump thanks to the success of his action franchise, John Wick, recently seeing the fourth installment wrap production in Paris. His newfound mainstream audience popularity eventually led to Warner Bros. reviving The Matrix films with Matrix Resurrections coming out next month.

Interestingly enough, around the time of the original Matrix, Reeves was in the mix to play Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s first X-Men film. The role ultimately went to Hugh Jackman but in recent years Keanu has been vocal about finding someone else to play in the world of Marvel Comics. He had been linked to playing the lead Kraven The Hunter in Sony’s upcoming solo film and has been trying to find something in the MCU as well, rumored to have almost played Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel.

During a recent chat with Esquire to promote the Matrix sequel, Reeves reiterates his desire to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and sounds like he’s well up-to-date with what is going on with the films/sows.

“Isn’t it bigger than a universe? It’s almost like a multiverse… It’s a Marvel-verse. It would be an honor. There’s some really amazing directors and visionaries, and they’re doing something no one’s ever really done. It’s special in that sense in terms of the scale, the ambition, the production. So it’d be cool to be a part of that,” Reeves told Esquire.

In 2019, Kevin Feige confirmed they’ve been trying to find a role for Keanu Reeves.

“We talk to him for almost every film we make. We talk to Keanu Reeves about it. I don’t know when, if, or ever he’ll join the MCU, but we very much want to figure out the right way to do it,” Feige told Comic Book.

He’s obviously too old to be considered for Wolverine again, but given his obsession with motorcycles for nearly 40 years and starting his own company Arch, a character like Johnny Blaze, aka, Ghost Rider feels like the perfect part for him.

SOURCE: ESQUIRE

Hugh Jackman Reiterates He’s Still Done Playing Wolverine Despite The Multiverse: “It’s In My Past, Man”

Hugh Jackman might be one of the longest running comic book actors in a single role spending nearly twenty years consistently playing X-Men’s most popular character, Wolverine, from 1999 to 2017.

There seemed to be some confusion when Marvel Studios decided to keep Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool (Deadpool 3 in active development and “might” begin shooting in 2022) and not doing the same for the Singerverse, the impression was that Kevin Feige would be rebooting those characters alongside Fantastic Four.

Jackman, even before the release of Logan (featuring the death of his character) announced he would be hanging up his claws and starting championing actors like Tom Hardy (would later take Venom role at Sony Pictures). However, with The Multiverse becoming a key thing in Phase Four, fans and unverified rumors have been pointing towards Hugh returning.

While doing the first rounds of interviews to promote his upcoming sci-fi thriller Reminiscence, he’s now had to reaffirm he’s ready to give new actors the character to play with.

First off, during a chat on Jake’s Takes (via Comic Book), the Aussie actor said he still hasn’t changed his mind.

“I’m hearing about this from you [Hamilton], and there’s nothing in my inbox from Kevin Feige means it’s probably, no matter what idea I came up with, not on the table. Let’s just be clear that, but now, I realized, before we shot Logan, I was like, we got the idea. We knew what it was going to be-ish, right? And I thought this is it. And that really helped me, it really helped knowing I was going into my last season, that it was my last season that I made the most of it. And it’s still a character I hold close to my heart. But I know it’s done. Tell that to whoever you want to. Please tell it to Ryan [Reynolds]. Because he’s like, doesn’t believe anything’s I’m joking, please.”

That’s not the only interview where it was brought-up, as Jackman essentially said the same thing to Screen Rant.

“It’s in my past, man. Don’t tell anyone, alright? Let me just say one more thing. Because as I said that, there’s not a day goes by where I’m not unbelievably grateful for having been part of that MCU Universe. Particularly to be there at the beginning of it, and to watch it. To see Kevin Feige going from being an assistant to a producer and a mate of mine, to where he is today. And that was a role of a lifetime. So, I don’t ever want people to feel that when I say I’m done, it’s a glib thing. It was one of the great chapters of my life.”

I’m guessing Hugh Jackman is going to have a long press tour spending way too much time telling interviewers that he’s still done with the Wolverine role after making the announcement ages ago.

The problem is that fans and outlets rarely take actors at their word, so, you’ll see plenty of folks who might be disappointment with the comments to just assume they’re lying and echo that on social media. Sadly, we’re likely going see fans believe he’ll return (without solid confirmations) until Marvel Studios finally announces the new actor.

SOURCE: JAKE’S TAKES & SCREEN RANT