Daniel Radcliffe has done the franchise thing before. Hell, you could argue that there are only a few actors who have been linked to a franchise film series in a more intrinsic way than Radcliffe during his run as the title character of the ‘Harry Potter’ films. Now, an older and wiser performer, the actor is a bit more hesitant to jump into the franchise filmmaking world again, even if it is as Wolverine in a future “X-Men” film.
Speaking to GQ, Daniel Radcliffe opened up about the long-running rumor that he is in the running for the role of Wolverine in the upcoming “X-Men” reboot coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In no uncertain terms, Radcliffe denies that rumor and blames himself for even speaking up about such things.
“It’s purely a press tour rumor; I say something, and then occasionally I get bored of answering that way so I say something different, and that sets it off again,” he said. “I should just never open my mouth.”
Radcliffe added, “I just don’t ever want to get locked into something that I am not sure I will be able to love the same amount the whole time.”
Obviously, Radcliffe doesn’t rule out starring in something franchise-based in the future. However, it’s clear that it would have to be something really special to get the ‘Harry Potter’ actor back into a long-term contract. He doesn’t need the fame. He doesn’t need the fans. And he probably doesn’t need the money. The Wizarding World took care of all of that. Plus, when you look at the projects Radcliffe has starred in post-‘HP,’ the guy doesn’t necessarily take any safe bets and does a lot of roles where he is just having a lot of fun. (Look at “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and his TV show, “Miracle Workers,” for proof of that.)
All of that doesn’t even take into consideration the fact that Marvel Studios already has a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who is set to appear in “Deadpool 3” in 2024. By the time the MCU is ready for that eventual reboot, we’re probably talking 2025 at the very earliest. There will be plenty of other actors for Kevin Feige and Co. to choose from for the role of Wolverine by then.