The British actor is “excited” but “apprehensive” about the possibility of taking on the X-Men character.
Taron Egerton, the star of Rocketman, says he’s spoken with Marvel Studio and company president Kevin Feige about donning the claws and muttonchops of Hugh Jackman’s leather-clad superhero.
“I don’t think it would be wrong to say that,” Egerton told The New YorkTimes. “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.”
Still, he’s staying optimistic. “Hopefully if it does come around,” he says, “they’ll give me a shot.”
Jackman first appeared as the hirsute mutant in X-Men in 2000, which EW regarded at the time as a potential breakthrough for the then-unknown Australian actor. He went on to play Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) in nearly a dozen official appearances, cameos, and archival footage.
Logan, the 2017 film in which his character’s healing power finally runs out and he (spoiler alert!) dies, was Jackman’s most recent appearance as Wolverine.
Egerton would bring an established track record to the role, having won a Golden Globe for his performance as singer Elton John in 2019’s Rocketman. He’s also been nominated for two BAFTAs and a Grammy.
The British actor rose to prominence in the United States as a spy in training in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service before taking on the title role in the 2018 film adaptation of Robin Hood.
Egerton, like Jackman, is a singer, having played Johnny the gorilla in Sing and Sing 2. And Jackman and Egerton collaborated on the 2015 film Eddie the Eagle, which was about British ski jump Olympian Eddie Edwards.
If Egerton wins the role, Jackman may have some words of caution for him; in 2017, Jackman told EW that his time as Wolverine left permanent scars on his body.
“I used to have to practice so I wouldn’t hit people. And one thing I neglected to practice was the follow-through,” Jackman said at the time. “I’ve got a number of scars on my thighs, and it’s really not cool. Got pretty close to some sensitive areas, but everything’s fine.”
Fan Art of Taron as Wolverine
There’s also the diet to consider. In 2014, Jackman joked with EW about how difficult it is to stay in Logan-appropriate shape.
“I must admit I was beginning to see a life free of steamed chicken breasts,” he said of his decision to return to the superhero suit after working on 2013’s The Wolverine. “They told me about the idea [for X-Men: Days of Future Past], and Matthew Vaughn was directing at the time. I knew it was a winner right away. Everything seemed to be coming full circle. However, I must admit that my stomach and mind both said, ‘Oh no.'”
Just a few things to think about if Egerton gets the chance to go full snikt on screen.
Egerton and Disney representatives did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
