The X-Men film franchise is one that may have lost its way over the years, but a quick look back at the early part of the franchise will reveal the monumental impact that it had on the acceptance and evolution of comic book movies. Once that first film took off at the box office, studios were forced to step their game up if the genre had any chance of surviving.
What some may not know about that first X-Men movie is that Mission: Impossible II provided a game-changing assist that drastically altered the course of movie history. Sounds a bit much, but believe us when we say that things could have been a whole lot different if not for Ethan Hunt and co.
So, how did the Mission: Impossible franchise help the X-Men franchise? Let’s take a closer look and see!
Dougray Scott Was Originally Cast As Wolverine
Landing a role in a potential blockbuster film is something that no performer wants to pass on, but sometimes, things out of their control can force them out of a golden opportunity. This was the case for Dougray Scott, who was originally slated to play Wolverine in the first X-Men film.
Prior to landing the role of Wolverine, Scott had been putting together a ton of work throughout the 90s, establishing himself as a reliable performer who could hold his own alongside anyone else in the business. While he may not have been a huge star, he had appeared in projects like Deep Impact, Ever After, and Soldier Soldier, showing that he clearly had the chops for bigger movies and shows.
In the early casting phase of X-Men, the folks behind the scenes had looked at different performers to take on the role of Wolverine. This was a major decision, as the character had long been a staple of Marvel Comics and was going to be a huge part of the film and eventual franchise. At one point, names like Bob Hoskins and Mel Gibson were attached to the character.
Former X-Men writer, Chris Claremont, would speak on Hoskins potentially taking on the role of Wolverine. According to ScreenGeek, Claremont would say, “The image I had of Hoskins was from the films he made in England where they emphasized, in terms of his character, the harshness, the Cockney, the brutality of him.”
His Commitment To Mission: Impossible II Forced Him Out Of X-Men
Despite the larger names that had been floated around for the role, Dougray Scott was the man for the job, signing on to portray the iconic hero on the big screen. This was going to be a huge break for Scott, but the filming of Mission: Impossible II was standing in his way.
Scheduling conflicts are nothing new in the business, and these issues have kept people out of roles before. Unfortunately, this meant that Scott was going to have some serious issues tackling both movies. There was, however, more going on behind the scenes than people initially realized.
Per Yahoo, when speaking with the Daily Telegraph, Scott would open up about the entire thing. Turns out, Tom Cruise had a hand in his inability to play Wolverine.
“We were doing Mission: Impossible and he was like, ‘You’ve got to stay and finish the film’ and I said 'I will, but I’ll go and do that as well'. For whatever reason he said I couldn’t. He was a very powerful guy. Other people were doing everything to make it work,” said Scott.
And just like that, Dougray Scott was out of the job. For the studio, this meant that they were going to have to find someone new, and this ultimately led them to the man who went on to completely redefine the character.
Hugh Jackman Gets The Role Of A Lifetime
Hugh Jackman may have been an unknown before becoming Wolverine in X-Men, but after the film became a smash hit and shook up comic book movies forever, the entire world quickly got to know his name.
Over the years, Jackman would become one of the biggest actors on the planet, and his work as Wolverine was a huge reason why. As great as Scott could have been in the role, Jackman’s work helped elevate the franchise and spawn a new age of superhero films. Sure, he may have almost gotten fired for his poor initial performance, but he got it together and became a legend.
Scott’s Mission: Impossible II was a huge hit in its own right, but it was not a franchise that he was able to bank on for years. The actor did touch on losing out on the role and how he felt about Jackman’s performance.
“I love what Hugh did with [the Wolverine character]. He’s a lovely guy,” Scott told the Daily Telegraph.
X-Men changed superhero movies forever, and the assistance that it had from Mission: Impossible II was a huge reason why.