As soon as it was reported that Disney and Fox are close to a deal, rumours began that Hugh Jackman could return as Wolverine on screen. The rumour was based on a statement that he gave while promoting Logan earlier this year.
While promoting his last run as the X-Men character, the actor had hinted that he could make a return if the Wolverine was part of an Avenger movie. However, now though the actor is still interested in watching an epic crossover between Wolverine and Avengers – namely Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, he doesn't want to be a part of it.
Talking to Collider during the promotions of his upcoming movie The Greatest Showman, the actor confirmed that he is no longer interested in picking up the claws, even if it is for the Avengers. Here's what he said:
"It's interesting because for the whole 17 years I kept thinking that would be so great, like I would love to see, particularly, Iron Man and the Hulk and Wolverine together. And every time I saw an Avengers movie I could just see Wolverine in the middle of all of them like punching them all on the head. But it was like, "Oh well, that's not gonna happen," and it was interesting just when I first saw that headline — it was just the possibility of it and who knows what's gonna happen, obviously — I was like, "Hang on!" But I think, unfortunately, the ship has sailed for me, but for someone else I would like to see Wolverine in there."
This is definitely heartbreaking considering fans would have enjoyed watching Jackman, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo, suited up in their superhero outfits, indulging in a conversation on screen.
Although Fox is yet to confirm if they are choosing to sell their entertainment assets to Disney over Comcast (the CNBC parent company also showed interest in buying the property), it does look like the current X-Men owning studio is inclined towards the Mouse House.
A statement by Comcast confirming that they are "no longer" looking at Fox's film and TV studio. Variety reported their statement which read:
"When a set of assets like 21st Century Fox's becomes available, it's our responsibility to evaluate if there's a strategic fit that could benefit our company and our shareholders.
That's what we tried to do and we are no longer engaged in the review of those assets. We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer. We have a terrific company with a strong portfolio of businesses and will continue to focus on driving growth, innovating, creating great content, and providing excellent experiences for our customers."
While Disney and Fox are yet to issue a statement on the deal, Comcast made sure they cleared the air on their stand in the acquisition.
