Jackman's Perm Almost Cost Him Wolverine

From: imdb.com

Hugh Jackman almost missed out on the chance to play Wolverine in the original X-men movie - because he had to audition with a perm.

The Aussie star reveals he tried out for the action man role nine months before filming started - and was initially passed over for Brit Dougray Scott.

And he thinks his hair put the casting director off.

He explains, "I was doing a musical in London at the time, playing Curly in Oklahoma - so I had a perm in my hair.

"So I put the hat on to do the audition and about halfway through, the casting director was like, 'That was great, could you do one without the hat? I can't really see Wolverine wearing a baseball cap.'

"I took it off and I read about two lines and she goes, 'Cut, put the hat on - now!'"

But fortune came Jackman's way when filming on Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible film overran and Scott was contracted to complete that film first.

Producers couldn't wait and so Jackman re-auditioned - four days after X-Men began shooting in 1999.

Ten years later, the Aussie has played the claw-handed mutant in four movies, including the newly-released X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which debuted at the top of box office charts around the globe this week on its way to an impressive $175 million (£116 million) haul.

Blu-Ray Review: HD ‘X-Men Trilogy’ Primes Fans For First Big Summer Movie

From: Hollywoodchicago.com
Written by: Brian Tallerico

With ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ opening this Friday, fans can catch up on where Hugh Jackman’s legendary character earned a following big enough to warrant a summer tentpole release date in the Blu-Ray release of the “X-Men Trilogy” including the two films by Bryan Singer (“X-Men” and “X2: X-Men United”) and the three-quel by Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand”). With nine discs, HD video/audio transfers, and dozens of special features, this is the Blu-Ray release of the season for the comic movie nut in your circle of friends and family.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

Very few franchises have been robust enough to support four films in the new millennium. With “X-Men,” “X2: X-Men United,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” and this week’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” this has been easily one of the most successful franchises of the ’00s (only Harry Potter, “Saw,” and “Fast & Furious” have had as many theatrical releases.) The three films in this set have made over $1.1 billion worldwide.

Knowing the rabid fan base of the franchise, Twentieth Century Fox has released a very complete set. Want special features? There are hours of them. Digital copies? There’s one for each film. And each film is presented in HD for the first time (the first and third film are presented in 2.40:1 with the middle film in 2.35:1). All three films are accompanied by 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio English tracks and 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks in Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

Sadly, Fox continues to underwhelm in the technical departments. “X-Men” looks older than it should with the picture often coming across much flatter than an average Blu-Ray. The picture simply doesn’t pop like it should, something I’ve noted far-too-often with recent Fox releases (although, to be fair, not all of them). Ultimately, “X-Men Trilogy” should look amazing and it looks (and sounds) merely average.

What is amazing is the collection of special features for all three films. They’re as informative and exhaustive as a fan could possibly ask for. There’s clearly no more material left on the cutting room floor and until the cast and crew gets together in decades for an anniversary edition, there are no more interviews or behind-the-scenes details to provide.

The first disc of special features on “X-Men” - Commentary by Bryan Singer and Brian Peck, Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by Bryan Singer and Brian Peck, Fox Special: “The Mutant Watch,” Bryan Singer Interview, Animatics, Art Gallery, Three TV Spots, Music Promo, BD-Live: Wolverine Exclusive, and HD Marvel
Universe Trailers.

The second disc of special features on “X-Men” - Disc Intro by Bryan Singer, The Uncanny Suspects, X-Factor: The Look of the X-Men, Image Gallery, Production Documentary Scrapbook, The Special Effects of the X-Men, Reflection of the X-Men, Marketing the X-Men, TV Spots, and Internet Interstitials.

The first disc of special features on “X2: X-Men United” - Commentary by Bryan Singer and Tom Sigel, Commentary by Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter, Generation X: Comic Book History, BD-Live: Wolverine Exclusive, and HD Marvel Universe Trailers.

The second disc of special features on “X2: X-Men United” - History of the X-Men, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Deleted Scenes, Galleries, Locations and Sets, On-Camera Graphics, The Unseen X2, and Three HD Trailers.

The first disc of special features on “X-Men: The Last Stand” - Director and Writer Commentary by Brett Ratner, Zack Penn and Simon Kinberg, Producer Commentary by Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, HD Deleted Scenes (Optional Director and Writer Commentary by Brett Ratner, Zack Penn and Simon Kinberg), HD Easter Eggs, BD-Live: Wolverine Exclusive, and HD Marvel Universe Trailers.

The second disc of special features fon “X-Men: The Last Stand” - Brett Ratner’s Production Diary, X-Men: Evolution of a Trilogy, X-Men Up Close - Interactive gallery with stills and video, Generation X: Comic Book History, Fox Movie Channel
Presents: Life After Film School, Fox Movie Channel Presents: Casting Session, X3: The Excitement Continues in HD, Anatomy of a Scene: Golden Gate Bridge in HD, HD Vignettes, HD Blogs, Previz Animatics, Galleries, Easter Egg, and Three HD Trailers.

‘X-Men Trilogy’ is released by Twentieth Century Fox and stars Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, James Marsden, Alan Cumming, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davison, Brian Cox, Kelsey Grammer, and Vinnie Jones. “X-Men” was written by David Hayter and directed by Bryan Singer. “X2: X-Men United” was written by Zak Penn and Hayter & Singer and directed by Singer. “X-Men: The Last Stand” was written by Simon Kinberg & Penn and directed by Brett Ratner. “X-Men Trilogy” was released on April 21st, 2009. All three films are rated PG-13.

Jackman Stabbed Stuntwoman On X-men Movie

From: Imdb.com

Hugh Jackman accidentally stabbed a stuntwoman in the arm while filming the first X-men movie - during a fight scene as his clawed character Wolverine.

The Australian actor had to wear real metal talons while filming the 2000 comic book blockbuster and admits handling the prop was quite dangerous.

Jackman recalls one incident which left Rebecca Romijn's stunt double seriously hurt - forcing moviemakers to rethink how to film the scenes involving the superhero's famous claws.

He says, "On the very first film we had real metal claws and the girl who was playing Mystique, Rebecca Romijn, her stunt double and I were doing a fight sequence in the Statue of Liberty. I went to stab her in the arm, which was part of the choreography, and she's meant to move her arm away and she forgot and the thing went right into her arm, like an inch.

"I was stunned. It was one of those things, it was so deep, there was a hole, there was no blood coming out and then like a minute later, it was like a geyser. I didn't faint and I thought she was going to freak out, but she just said, 'Yes! I have been stabbed by Wolverine!' Typical stuntwoman."

And Jackman admits that subsequent efforts to prevent him using real metal claws were not particularly successful - and even involved him using a fake limb with one arm tucked behind his back. The prop was only used in one scene before it was discarded.

Jackman's latest outing as the superhero, X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits cinemas on 1 May.

Blast from the past

Old interview with Hugh Jackman and Rogue for 'X-Men'.

Kevin Durand Briefly Talks Wolverine

From:

Kevin Durand (ABC's "Lost") briefly talked to Thunder Bay's Source about playing Frederick J. Dukes/The Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine:

He spent time in the land down under working on the next installment of the X-Men movies: Wolverine, where he plays alongside Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds as the villainous mutant The Blob also known as Frederick J. Dukes, a perennial X-Men character. The film is set for theatrical release in spring 2009.

"I wasn't a comic book kid because I was busy playing hockey here in Thunder Bay. That's all I wanted to do and all I dreamed of really. But when I saw the first (X-Men film), I was just in awe and the second one (X2:X-Men United) just blew me away," he said.

When he heard the news a new installment was in the works, he was hoping the producers would consider him for a part and luckily for Durand, they already knew his name and called for him to take a look at the part.

And to get the larger than life Blob ready for the cameras, it took six months of costume and special effects preparation.

"I have a feeling people are going to like him," Durand said.

Opening May 1, 2009, the Gavin Hood-directed film stars Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Will.i.am, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Daniel Henney and Lynn Collins. "Wolverine" tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program.

What happens when a toad gets hit by lightning?

It’s common knowledge that Joss Whedon was brought in to do a pass over on the screenplay for the X-Men film. It may also be common knowledge that his draft of the script was pretty much chucked because, as the telling of it goes, the studio only wanted him to spice it up with the odd witticism here and there rather than do a complete revision of the draft.

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Updates to the site.

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