Credit: 20th Century Fox StudiosJames Mangold is currently one of the top filmmakers in the world. He has directed the final Indiana Jones adventure, is set to direct and write the Swamp Thing film for DC, and is working on a “Dawn of the Jedi” film for Star Wars. However, one of his crowning achievements is Logan (2017), where he killed off Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine—a fact he wishes was still true.
Related: James Mangold Teases Fate of Shia LaBeouf’s Character In Fifth ‘Indiana Jones’
The world was shocked when Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) announced that Hugh Jackman would return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3. He also did it in the most Ryan Reynolds way by casually asking Jackman to return in a short video. Shortly after, the pair reunited for many videos that made fun of the announcement in a very meta way.
Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine lit the superhero world on fire, as the character had certainly died in the Logan film, which James Mangold directed. No one in the MCU, or anywhere, thought that Jackman would return. Logan was released in 2017, and the thought was that Wolverine would be recast.
Massive stars like Tom Hardy, Keanu Reeves, and Taron Egerton were all named as potential replacements for Jackman. Egerton even gave an interview about screen testing for the character.
Though Wolverine is likely still to be recast for the potential X-Men film that the MCU may or may not ever make, Jackman is returning for presumably one final time. This is something that James Mangold wishes was not happening.
James Mangold Says “There Was Always Going to Be Another Wolverine”
James Mangold is currently doing press for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny when Variety asked him about his true feelings that Wolverine is returning in Deadpool 3. According to Mangold:
“I can’t say that there’s a part of me that doesn’t wish that we’d let it be. But there was always going to be another Wolverine. There could be a baby Wolverine and a cartoon Wolverine. As much liquid as they can squeeze out of that rag, they’re going to try to. I don’t measure my success on a movie like Logan with whether we ended the conversation. I ended my conversation.”
Though he sounds upset, which he rightfully should be, he is correct. Wolverine is a staple Marvel character, and though the X-Men have not yet appeared in a Marvel movie or show, their time is likely coming. Jackman will likely not appear as the character past Deadpool 3, so it stands to reason that he will be recast.
The silver lining to his quote is that he does understand that he ended his conversation or “story” the way he wanted to, and it worked out quite well. Logan was the first R-rated superhero movie that delivered a perfect blend of drama and heroism in a film that was a commercial and critical success.
The Academy also recognized James Mangold, who was nominated along with Scott Frank and Michael Green for Best Adapted Screenplay. Though it did not win, a superhero movie receiving an Academy Award nomination was still unheard of then.
Logan is a huge achievement, so we understand Mangold wishing that Wolverine stayed dead. What makes matters a bit more personal is it appears that the plot involves the Wolverine from that movie, as Hugh Jackman has been spotted with the same type of scraggly beard he had in that film.
The plot of Deadpool 3 is still being kept under wraps, but there are heavy rumors that Logan, Deadpool, and Loki will be combined into a story that sees Deadpool travel in time to either the future or the past to recruit Logan. This has not been confirmed just yet, but it sounds like it could be true.
Ryan Reynolds did confirm that his sequel will not mess with Logan at all, so it could be that Jackman’s Wolverine could return to the future right when he dies anyway. This would certainly allow Jackman to once again ride into the sunset.
Related: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Look Points to ‘Logan’ and ‘Deadpool 3’ Crossover
We would like to state that we are overjoyed that Wolverine is returning, but we also understand why James Mangold wishes the character stayed dead.
Do you agree with James Mangold about Wolverine? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!