After Hugh Jackman’s time as Wolverine came to an end, thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Danny DeVito to star as the superhero.
The 74-year-old has spent the last 13 years making waves as Frank Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but as entertaining as emerging naked and sweaty out of sofas and munching on rum ham is, it seems fans now want the actor to take on another challenge.
That of a mutant with retractable claws, naturally.
Jackman’s Wolverine was a staple of the X-Men, but his reign ended with the 2017 film Logan, and according to Comicbook Disney are now seeking someone new for the role.
But I don’t think they have to look far, because it’s clear who the public want. At the time of writing (May 22), almost 10,000 people have signed the Change.org petition calling for DeVito to take over from Jackman.
The page reads:
The only man able to take the throne after Hugh Jackman. We believe that if Wolverine is to make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the only man able to pull it off is Danny Devito.
In March, Disney and Fox officially merged, giving Marvel Studios access to members of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and, consequently, Wolverine. Marvel originally sold the rights to the X-Men to 20th Century Fox in 1993.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Bob Iger said it ‘makes sense’ for the the Marvel Cinematic Universe to absorb the X-Men franchise, but despite the new adventures which lie up ahead, Jackman can’t be enticed back to the role.
Unfortunately, however, as much as fans might want DeVito to sprout claws, the creators have admitted they’re looking for a younger actor.
As per Comicbook, on a Television Critics Association panel X-Men franchise producer, Lauren Shuler Donner, explained:
[Hugh] worked so hard to bulk up, would get up at four in the morning to bulk and eat protein meals every two hours because his natural state, they used to call him Worm when he was a kid.
So his natural state is a very skinny guy. Once you reach a certain age, the body just won’t go anymore.
I think he was wise to say, ‘I’m at that point. I can’t do it.’
Though the creators seemed confident in their decision to move on to a younger actor, Donner did make those comments a couple of months ago, before the petition was introduced.
Could the cries of the public be enough to convince Disney that DeVito is the right man for the role?
Let’s hope so!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.