Lately, there’s been a lot of chatter online about the idea of Daniel Radcliffe filling Hugh Jackman’s shoes as the next Wolverine, and while most fans saw the notion as more of a joke than a genuine possibility, the Harry Potter actor still thought it best to clear the air and assure us that he’s not in line for the role.
Radcliffe accidentally got people talking a few days ago when he took part in a Wired Autocomplete Interview. In response to the popular Google search question “Is Daniel Radcliffe the new Wolverine?,” the Imperium star joked that an upcoming film will see Jackman being put into a hot wash, with himself coming out the other end. Though it probably goes without saying that such a movie is not in the works, Radcliffe set the record straight once and for all in an interview with IGN, telling the publication:
“This is what happens when you make jokes. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just start casting yourself in things by just saying them in interviews? So I guess people have been asking something about me and Wolverine, and I made a joke about [playing] Wolverine after being in a hot wash, like I’d been shrunk in a hot wash, and the internet seems to think that I was putting that out there on my dream board cosmic ordering system.”
The actor went to stress that there’s “no truth” to the rumors, but also said that “a comedy where Wolverine has got tiny” would be a great idea for a film.
Ironically, as much as fans loved Jackman’s run as Logan, one common criticism of the casting is that Wolverine tends to be a lot shorter in the comics, suggesting that the possibility of a ‘tiny Wolverine’ joining the MCU isn’t as unlikely as Radcliffe seems to think.
In any case, though X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner mentioned earlier this month that Marvel will be looking for a younger actor to be the next Wolverine, it’ll likely be a good few months, if not longer, before we hear a casting announcement. But whoever Disney ends up settling on, the star will no doubt face an uphill battle trying to replace his predecessor in the minds of filmgoers.