Before Daniel Craig was cast as the successor to Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of James Bond, Hugh Jackman was offered a chance at the role. And while you might think only a nutsack would turn down that opportunity (though, honestly, Craig kind of makes it seem like it's hell), Jackman explained that he did just that because he was hesitant to agree to two enormous recurring parts. The 007 plots were also getting just a little too out there for him.
"I was about to do X-Men 2 and a call came from my agent asking if I’d be interested in Bond," Jackman told Variety. "I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy, and I felt like they needed to become grittier and real. And the response was: ‘Oh, you don’t get a say. You just have to sign on.’ I was also worried that between Bond and X-Men, I’d never have time to do different things."
The comments on the subject weren't the first time Jackman has spoken about turning the role of 007 down.
Worth noting is that the Bond series actually did move to a gritter more realistic tone once they acquired their new lead, starting with a reboot that began with 2006's great Casino Royale.
In related Bond news, this past summer Craig once again finally agreed to reprise the role for what will be the franchise's 25th film to hit theaters when it does just that in 2019.
As for Jackman, he will be playing P.T. Barnum in his next flick (The Greatest Showman) which is set to hit theaters on December 20. Feel free to read what he had to say about that upcoming movie, in addition to what he had to say about waving goodbye to his time as Wolverine, in the rest of that Variety article.
