12 Actors Who Should Play Wolverine Next

4. Jake Gyllenhaal

Gyllenhaal has come a long way since he auditioned to play Christopher Nolan's Batman. Even then he would probably have come across as too refined and too light-weight to play the character (Christian Bale's American Psycho history made him the most interesting candidate), but he's an entirely different actor now.

He's quietly gone about ascending the Hollywood ladder, making a string of great films since Batman Begins with Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead, Zodiac, Brothers, Source Code, Prisoners, Enemy, Nightcrawler, Southpaw and Nocturnal Animals all wowing. And the thing that keeps improving as he does is his flair for intense roles with a hotline on emotion.

He's also proved himself able to bulk for roles, and he would suit the wiry, skinned dog look Jackman was sporting at his physical peak for The Wolverine. He might not quite have the cocky charm, but there have been flashes of the necessary bravado before (and it's not like stage musical star Jackman had a great deal of specific experience when he stepped into the role).