What would Tom Hardy be like in the role of Logan? We now have a better idea, thanks to a visual aid in the form of a deepfake created by Stryder HD on YouTube. In the video, Hardy's face has been digitally inserted over that of Hugh Jackman's in the X-Men franchise. We obviously have no way yet of knowing what Logan will look like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's reboot of the X-Men, but seeing Hardy in the Jackman-portrayed role here from the Fox movies still may help sell some fans on the potential casting.
Hardy is someone whose name seems to come up often when fans discuss potential casting choices for Wolverine. The Venom star has even gotten an endorsement for the role from Jackman, who was able to envision Hardy in that role several years ago. Back in 2015, Jackman noted in an MTV interview that he wanted Hardy to be his successor.
"I’ve been asked the question a lot and I’m always like, 'I don’t want to make it too easy on the studio to replace me,'” Jackman said at the time, ahead of the release of his final movie in the role, Logan. "I’ve still got one more to do. I’m sure they’re already talking about it, that some actor out there they’ve already said, 'Shhhh… keep it quiet, but we want you next.' He’s younger than me for sure, I think Tom Hardy would be great.”
Who Will Be the Next Logan?
It remains unclear when Marvel fans can expect to see the next live-action Wolverine. There are no X-Men movies that are currently on the board, though Kevin Feige has stated that there are plans at Marvel to bring the group into the MCU at some point. They could potentially appear in any Marvel movie or Disney+ series to first establish the characters before giving them their own projects, but as of now, no plans are in place and none of the characters have been officially cast.
This just leaves it to the fans to keep debating different choices over who would be good as Wolverine. Hardy is just one of many names that have been discussed. Some of the other popular candidates with fans include Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Pablo Schreiber, and Daniel Radcliffe. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have even nominated Captain America actor Chris Evans for the part, even though he already appeared in a major role in the MCU.
"Evans has incredible range and great physicality, and he's real good at body control," Joe Russo said. "He's an incredible actor. I don't mean this in a bad way, but he's nothing like Captain America. Steve Rogers is very controlled and quiet, understated. Chris is energetic and funny and charismatic, and he brings a lot of energy to set. I'd love to see him do something like Wolverine."
In any case, it's just a matter of time before we see Wolverine back on the big screen.