Taron Egerton Open to Playing Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel isn’t keen on revealing plans for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet, but fans are already hoping (and assuming) that the X-Men will finally appear somewhere down the line. And with that begs the question of the next actor to replace Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Rocketman and Kingsman star Taron Egerton seems to be the best candidate for the character—at least, according to massive fan clamor.

But it seems as if Egerton himself is considering the possibility of him playing the clawed mutant for Marvel. Speaking to Variety on Wednesday’s HFPA Grants banquet, the actor revealed that the call for him to play Wolverine didn’t go unheeded. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige did confirm at SDCC 2019 that the mutants will definitely appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the specifics remain to be seen. Egerton shared his enthusiasm over the fan artworks of him as Wolverine posted all over the internet.

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Taron Egerton on Wolverine: ‘I’d love to be a part of it.’

“I love Marvel and I love the movies and I’d love the excuse to get in shape,” Egerton said. “I’d love to be a part of it, whether [Wolverine] is realistic or not, I don’t know.”

Of course, we should all take this as his unofficial bid to play Wolverine. It’s still up to Feige and his creative team to decide whether or not Egerton should be the next bearer of the adamantium claws for the MCU’s version of the X-Men. Jamie Bell, who played Ben Grimm/The Thing in Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four, also voiced out his support for Egerton. “He can play Elton John, why not? It’s the natural next step,” said Bell. “I’m sure he’d love to. Taron’s great. Working with Taron, I’m not entirely sure what he can’t do, so I’m sure he could probably do it — another string to his bow, as it were.”

Incidentally, Egerton might have learned a few tricks from the original Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. The duo previously worked together in Dexter Fletcher’s 2016 Michael Edwards biopic Eddie the Eagle, where Egerton played Edwards and Jackman starring as Bronson Peary. Both sported undeniable chemistry in the flick, which is a testament to how Jackman could theoretically pass the baton down to Egerton.

This comes as great news to fans, but it’s all written on water at this time. Until then, we’d all have to wait for further announcements from Marvel Studios regarding the MCU future of the X-Men.