Marvel's Kevin Feige is debunking rumors a new Wolverine has been cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wolverine has long been one of the most popular superhero characters in both the comic pages and on the big screen, where the 11 films Hugh Jackman has appeared in as Wolverine have made over $5 billion at the worldwide box office.

Jackman played Wolverine from the original X-Men in 2000 to Logan in 2017, after which he announced his retirement from the character. Shortly after, Disney announced it was acquiring 20th Century Fox, which meant Wolverine and the X-Men would be returning to Marvel Studios who would be free to reintroduce the character with a new actor. Though some of Jackman's friends and colleagues like Ryan Reynolds and Logan director James Mangold have gently tried to coax the once Wolverine out of retirement, the actor has remained steadfast that he wants to stay retired from the character, and Marvel Studios is widely expected to recast the role. Though, in a world where Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are reportedly returning to star in an MCU set Spider-Man 3, it seems like nothing can be entirely ruled out.

Related: The MCU's Wolverine Needs to Be Different

Feige spoke to Collider while promoting WandaVision and was asked if there was any truth to the many rumors about the potential actors in contention for the part of Wolverine. His response was simple and to the point: "No," indicating no one has been cast at this time.

Wolverine X-Men Hugh Jackman and comics collage

In the same interview, Feige admits the introduction of mutants into the MCU "has been heavily discussed" and that they have a "good feeling of where it's going," but apparently those discussions have not yet extended to the recasting of one of Marvel's most popular characters. Names like Taron Egerton, Shia LaBeouf, and Tom Hardy have all been suggested as potential candidates to play the MCU version of Wolverine, but if Feige is to be believed, they haven't even begun to discuss who could replace Jackman.

Most likely, Feige and Marvel Studios are admitting that beyond figuring out the when, where, and how of introducing mutants to the MCU, it's probably a smart idea to let the Wolverine character take a break following Jackman's retirement. It was a notion echoed by Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo, who said of Wolverine last year, "Hugh Jackman has done an incredible job with that character over the years, and I think they should take a break for a little while before someone else takes a crack at it." With MCU Phase 4 projects mapped out through 2022 (and possibly beyond), it could be at least a year before any type of mutant related development becomes official, so fans will just have to wait a little bit longer for an update.

Next: The MCU's Wolverine Should Be a Villain

Source: Collider

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