Hugh Jackman‘s portrayal of Wolverine is regarded by many as one of the best casting decisions that Marvel’s ever made. However, it almost didn’t happen.
The actor emerged as a fan-favorite star in the franchise for his portrayal of the clawed hero in 2000′s X-Men. Since then, Hugh has saved the day in so many movies over the years.
He seemingly bowed out of the role with 2017′s Logan. That all changed with this year’s Deadpool & Wolverine. The newest blockbuster officially introduced his character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and sets the scene for even more projects in the future.
It also sets him, the cast and the crew up for an impressive awards season.
It’s impossible to think of Wolverine now without picturing him as Hugh, but another big star was actually cast in the role and had to drop out, which led to the casting switch-up.
In a recent interview, Hugh revealed that he did not feel confident about his audition. Now, we all know how things worked out. But with the new movie, we got curious and did some digging to see who else was in the running for the role.
The list includes the big actor who had to back out, one who brought his son to the audition and another who ultimately recommended Hugh, which led to the final casting decision!
Scroll through the slideshow to see all of the actors who were in the running to play the iconic mutant…