2016’s Deadpool made Hugh Jackman regret his retirement as Wolverine.

Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine for almost 24 years since the first X-Men film in 2000. The actor’s compelling and intense performance as the character has been loved by audiences, and he and the character have become synonymous with each other. Fans have since believed that only Jackman could have played Wolverine as well as one could.

Jackman had announced his retirement with 2017’s Logan. He had already made up his mind while he was prepping for the film in 2016. However, when he saw Ryan Reynolds’ first Deadpool film, he immediately realized the missed opportunity to do a buddy comedy reminiscent of 48 Hrs. with Deadpool and Wolverine.

Watching 2016’s Deadpool Made Hugh Jackman Question His Retirement Plans

With 2017’s Logan, Hugh Jackman officially hung up his claws after almost 15 years of playing Wolverine in multiple X-Men films and solo Wolverine features. Ryan Reynolds put it out to the world (in Deadpool 2) that he will one day enlist Wolverine for his help, and he has to say yes. The stars aligned with a third Deadpool film happening at Disney, when Jackman would surprisingly come out of retirement.

Throughout his years of playing Wolverine, one of his regrets was not being able to play alongside Deadpool. By 2016, he had already decided to retire from the character after Logan. But as luck would have it, Reynold would come out with the first Deadpool film, and Jackman would regret announcing to retire.

In a new interview with Fandango, the actor stated that Reynolds planned a special screening of Deadpool for him. Within 10 minutes of watching the film, Jackman’s dream of playing alongside Deadpool became possible, but he had already announced his retirement before. He kept seeing Deadpool and Wolverine as Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in 48 Hrs. Jackman said,

I was literally 10 minutes into watching Deadpool 1 and I was at a screening that Ryan had set up for me, and I had just made the announcement, we had not shot Logan, but I had made the announcement, this is it, this is the last one. And I remember being 10 minutes in and all I kept seeing was Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. And I was like ‘I just said it’ and I just shoved that one down.

Thus, it was a no-brainer for Jackman to jump in for Deadpool & Wolverine when Reynolds called him for the film. Further in the interview, Jackman revealed how he got to present a new side of Wolverine that fans have never seen before, and this drew him more to the film.

Hugh Jackman Knew Deep In His Gut That He Had to Do Deadpool & Wolverine

When Ryan Reynolds approached Hugh Jackman and asked whether he could come out of retirement for Deadpool & Wolverine, it was a full circle moment for Jackman, whose dream of playing alongside Deadpool had remained unrealized until then. The idea hit him as he was driving one day, and he immediately decided he was committing to the project.

In an interview with Fandango, Jackman stated that he was sure about his retirement with Logan back in 2017. However, fans have always wanted Deadpool and Wolverine to be paired in a film for a long time, and with the unexplored possibilities that came up after watching Deadpool, Jackman just knew that Deadpool & Wolverine was a golden opportunity that he couldn’t let go. The actor said,

I was on my way – I was just driving – and literally just like a bolt of lightning came this knowing, deep in my gut, that I wanted to do this film with Ryan… for Deadpool and Wolverine to come together. And Jacqueline, I swear to you, when I said I was done I really thought I was done.

But, in the back of my head, ever since I saw Deadpool 1, I was like ‘Those two characters together…’ I knew it: I knew the fans wanted it. Ever since I put on the claws fans have talked about these two, so that had always been there, but I just knew. 

In addition to Reynolds and Jackman, the Shawn Levy-directed film will also star Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. Tickets for Deadpool & Wolverine are on sale right now on Fandango, and the film will hit theatres on July 26, 2024.