10 Failed Movie Castings That Were A Blessing In Disguise

In 2003, coming off the back of a star-making turn as Wolverine in Bryan Singer's X-Men, Hugh Jackman had the world at his feet.

He had convincingly portrayed a rugged anti-hero that was trying to remember who he was for the majority of the first flick, which any actor will tell you is the kind of role that you'd dream of taking a stab at.

Understandably, he signed on for the sequel, but very nearly found himself in another series altogether.

After a call from his agent, Jackman realised that he had the opportunity to play 007 himself, James Bond. The only downside in Jackman's mind was that the character had become 'unbelievable and crazy', so if he was to take on the role he wanted a 'grittier and real' Bond to be centre stage.

Being told that he would have no say in how Bond's story would be told, Jackman opted against taking up the mantle and stuck around to play Wolverine for the next 14 years.

Weirdly, Daniel Craig would turn out to be the studio's new top agent and would find himself at the forefront of a grittier and more real Bond era, that has definitely reaffirmed the series as a property worth being a part of.

It worked out for both actors, but you can't help but wonder if Jackman's vision was channelled into Craig's iteration of the character.