Although Hugh Jackman began his acting career by appearing in various Australian and British theatrical and film productions, he made his first big splash in the world by playing Wolverine in the X-Men of the 2000s. 23 years later, Marvel Comics’ mutant superhero is still Jackman’s most famous character, and soon he’ll be donning adamantium claws again for Deadpool 3. Bryan Singer, who shot Jackman in the first two X-Men films: “X-Men: Days of the Past Future” and “X-Men: Apocalypse”. Now Jackman has commented on whether these accusations have spoiled his views on the franchise.
Although Bryan Singer was accused back in 1997 of asking minors to shoot a shower scene for his film “The Capable Student,” between 2014 and 2019 he was the subject of numerous lawsuits alleging that he raped minors, and these incidents allegedly date back to the late 1990s. , all of which the director denied. While “X-Men” and “X2: X-Men” of 2003 were among the key films that helped popularize the genre of superhero films at the beginning of the new millennium, Singer’s participation in them forced them to reconsider their legacy. When The Guardian asked Hugh Jackman if he now looks at these X-Men films differently, given what has been said about Singer, the actor replied:
You know, this is a very, very difficult question. There’s a lot at stake there. I think “X-Men” was a turning point in the history of comic book films, and I have something to be proud of. And, of course, there are questions that need to be asked, and I think they should be asked. But I probably don’t know how to answer this elegantly. I think it’s difficult, and in the end I look back with pride at what we achieved and what momentum it gave rise to.
There’s no doubt that without the X-Men, Hugh Jackman wouldn’t have been catapulted to Hollywood fame, or at least it would have taken him longer to do so. So while Jackman didn’t want to make any specific comments about Bryan Singer’s accusations, it looks like he’s now looking at X-Men movies through a somewhat mixed lens. On the one hand, he admits that “the question should be asked”, indirectly referring to Singer’s behavior, but, on the other hand, he is pleased with how these cinematic products turned out, and the role they played in making superhero films the mainstay of Hollywood.
During the same interview, Hugh Jackman also addressed the 2020 statement that “X2: X-Men United” was a stormy production, including Bryan Singer allegedly being under the influence of drugs while behind the camera. It was also said at the time that many X2 actors almost quit after Jackman was injured while performing a risky stunt. A few months after this initial report came out, Halle Berry (Storm) admitted that she had quarreled with Singer several times, and more recently she said that he was “not the easiest dude to work with.” Here’s what Jackman said when asked about his first-hand experience with Singer:
It was my first film in America, you have to understand; it was all so new to me. I think it’s fair to say that… You know, there are some stories… I think there are some ways to be on set that wouldn’t be there right now. And I think things have changed for the better.
Bryan Singer initially left the X-Men franchise after X2 to work on Superman Returns, resulting in Brett Ratner heading up X-Men 3: The Last Stand. Then, as mentioned earlier, he returned to X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, although it was Simon Kinberg who completed the main series of X-Men films with Dark Phoenix. Most recently, Singer was named the director of “Bohemian Rhapsody” 2018, but he was fired just a few weeks before filming was completed and replaced by Dexter Fletcher, who is considered an executive producer. Singer was also supposed to make the film “Red Sonya”, but in March 2019 he was excluded from this project.
There hasn’t been a word recently about what’s going on in Bryan Singer’s professional or personal life, but if there are any notable updates on these fronts, we’ll pass them on. As for Hugh Jackman, we’ll see him in the role of Wolverine again when “Deadpool 3” is released on November 8, 2024 as part of the upcoming list of Marvel films. In the near future you will be able to see him in “Son”, which is released in theaters on January 20.
