New information suggests that Wolverine may not appear in Marvel Studios' reboot of the X-Men team.
Mutants have slowly been infiltrating the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Disney successfully acquired Fox Studios, and thus the screen rights to the comic book team.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed there were plans to bring the X-Men into the MCU at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019.
Deadpool & Wolverine served as an effective tribute to the X-Men of the Fox universe while also opening the door for the original cast to appear in an MCU movie. However, it's likely that Marvel's upcoming X-Men film will serve as a reboot of the classic characters using a new cast that is separate from the Fox universe.
Marvel's X-Men Reboot May Not Include Wolverine
Marvel Studios' X-Men film recently hired a writer in Michael Lesslie, and reports about his script for the film are now starting to emerge.
Industry insider Daniel Richtman posted a report on his Patreon, claiming that early treatments for the film "[do] not include Wolverine."
"I hear the current treatment for the MCU X-Men reboot does not include Wolverine, at all."
According to this rumor, the new X-Men film would omit the character of Wolverine altogether, rather than introduce a new actor in the part.
The reason, Richtman said, is because original Fox X-Men actor (and recent Deadpool & Wolverine star) Hugh Jackman is "sticking around for now" and will seemingly play the character "post [Avengers] Secret Wars:"
"Rest of the team is similar to the 'X-Men 97' cartoon plus some. But no Wolverine because Hugh Jackman is sticking around for now. Likely even post 'Secret Wars.'"
Additionally, Richtman mentioned the team for the MCU X-Men movie resembles that of the recent X-Men '97 season (read more about the X-Men '97 cast). This means likely team members for the film would be Cyclops, Beast, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Rogue, Magneto, Storm, Morph, and Professor X, amongst others.
Will Hugh Jackman Continue to Play Wolverine?
There's long been speculation of a new actor taking on the next version of Wolverine for the MCU, with everyone from Taron Egerton to Daniel Radcliffe being thrown into the mix for James Logan.
However, Ryan Reynolds joked in Deadpool & Wolverine that Hugh Jackman would play his X-Men character "til he's 90", and if this report is anything to by, that punchline may be coming true.
Hugh Jackman has played the character of Wolverine on and off for over 20 years. The actor was given a chance to resurrect the character in Deadpool & Wolverine, after he seemingly closed the book in Logan, and the latest MCU release did a decent job of establishing Jackman as the character again for a new era.
Back in 2022, Jackman said he took each of his turns as Wolverine "one at a time," which seems to be a sentiment shared by many MCU stars. But with plans on the table for two more Avengers movies, it's possible Jackman may want to continue the role and become a part of an even bigger superhero team-up.
For the actor to stick around post-Avengers, to star in yet another X-Men reboot as Wolverine, seems like a big ask. Although, who knows what the MCU landscape will look like after the events of Secret Wars.
Until Marvel Studios begins the casting process for the X-Men reboot, it's unclear what kind of shape the team will form, but Wolverine's omission will no doubt leave a big void.
Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot is currently in development
