X-Men: 7 Best & 7 Worst Casting Decisions In The Franchise So Far

1. Hugh Jackman - Wolverine

Had Fox had their way, it could have been an awful lot different for the mutant with the metal claws, and who's to say that Dougray Scott (who was initially cast) or one of the many other actors linked to the role would have been able get so perfectly under the character's skin as relative new-comer Jackman. Despite having only a couple of notable TV and movie credits to his name (including the unlikeliest reference for Wolverine in Oklahoma), Jackman was cast, coming to the role too late to go through the kind of extreme preparation that have subsequently turned his Wolverine into the most vascular character in all of cinema history. And it's worth considering the performance in terms of that lack of preparation: in X-Men, Jackman's Wolverine is not the blunt object with the snarky quips he would become - he is far more human and far more lost, and the actor sells that inherent vulnerability in such a way that it offered the perfect antidote to the more cartoonish aspects of the characterisation. His relationship with Rogue is the emotional heart of the film's story, and without his charm and the chemistry he builds with Anna Paquin, it simply would not have worked as successfully. And now on to the worst casting decisions...