Every Time Daniel Radcliffe Has Responded To Wolverine Rumors And Fan-Casting

Since Marvel Studios confirmed the X-Men will debut MCU, Daniel Radcliffe has been a popular fan-cast for the MCU’s version of Wolverine, and the actor has responded to these rumors several times. Daniel Radcliffe rose to stardom as the title character in the Harry Potter franchise, starring in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at only 12 years old. Since the conclusion of the Harry Potter franchise, Radcliffe has taken to starring in a variety of lower-budget productions, expanding his repertoire with films including Kill Your Darlings, Horns, Swiss Army Man, and Guns Akimbo. In recent years, Radcliffe has become a fan-favorite casting for a role in the MCU.

After Disney acquired Marvel properties from 20th Century Fox in 2019, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige confirmed that mutants and the X-Men would be coming to the MCU. This announcement led to a stir in fan-castings for the MCU’s mutant heroes, which included many placing Daniel Radcliffe in the role of Wolverine, taking over from Hugh Jackman, who portrayed the clawed hero in Fox’s X-Men franchise. Marvel Studios will be hearing pitches from writers for the MCU’s X-Men reboot soon, but it’s unclear whether fan-casting for Daniel Radcliffe will come to fruition.

5 Daniel Radcliffe Debunked Wolverine Casting Rumors In 2019

During a WIRED Autocomplete Interview in 2019, Daniel Radcliffe joked that he had been cast as Wolverine in an upcoming MCU film, noting that he would sport the claws after Hugh Jackman supposedly retired from the role after 2017’s Logan. Indeed, this had been a tongue-in-cheek response, but it caused a flurry of excitement among Marvel’s fans who had been excited to hear casting news for Wolverine following Disney’s acquisition of Fox. In a following interview with IGN promoting his then-new TBS comedy series Miracle Workers, Radcliffe confirmed that this had simply been a joke, debunking these rumors completely.

This is what happens when you make jokes. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just start casting yourself in things by just saying them in interviews? So I guess people have been asking something about me and Wolverine, and I made a joke about [playing] Wolverine after being in a hot wash, like I’d been shrunk in a hot wash, and the internet seems to think that I was putting that out there on my dream board cosmic ordering system.

At the time, it was noted that Daniel Radcliffe’s casting as Wolverine would be unorthodox, yet many seemed to welcome the British actor assuming the role. This came after he had spent years diversifying his acting skills, moving away from Harry Potter to be known as a more mature and varied actor. Radcliffe’s joke during his WIRED interview took root incredibly quickly, with many realizing he may actually be a better fit for the role than Hugh Jackman – whose casting as Wolverine caused controversy, mainly attributed to the pair’s disparate heights. Despite Radcliffe’s fan-casting achieving a huge amount of interest, the actor put these rumors to bed very quickly.

4 Daniel Radcliffe Responded To Popular Wolverine Fan-Cast In 2022

Wolverine’s height in Marvel Comics seemed to be a big talking point when discussions were happening for his debut in the MCU, especially after the typically-short character had been portrayed by 6ft 3in actor Hugh Jackman since 2000’s X-Men. In the comics, Wolverine is 5ft 3in, and since Daniel Radcliffe clocks in at 5ft 4in, this only added fuel to the fan-casting fire. Radcliffe responded to the fact that viewers wanted him to portray a short Wolverine while speaking to Comicbook.com at the SXSW premiere of his 2022 film The Lost City, though debunked the rumors and suggesting that going from Jackman to him would be quite the leap.

So many times, people come to me like, ‘hey man, heard the Wolverine news, that’s pretty cool.’ No, I don’t know anything about it. Like, I appreciate that somebody is clearly going like ‘Wolverine’s actually short in the comic books, you should get like a short guy to do it!’ But I don’t see myself, I don’t see them going from Hugh Jackman to me. But who knows? Prove me wrong, Marvel.

Nevertheless, perhaps a big leap is what Marvel Studios might be looking for when casting Wolverine for the MCU. Over the last two decades, Hugh Jackman has become synonymous with Wolverine, and despite his height, became a fan-favorite in the role. It will certainly be an adjustment for audiences to see someone else unleash those famous claws, whether it be Daniel Radcliffe or any number of other actors, including other Wolverine fan-casts for the MCU such as Keanu Reeves, Taron Egerton, and Zac Efron. While Daniel Radcliffe might think himself too much of a change, this might actually be the perfect choice for Marvel Studios’ mutant reboot.

3 Daniel Radcliffe Admits To Fueling Wolverine Rumors In 2022

Many fans have taken the rumors of Daniel Radcliffe’s potential casting as Wolverine and run wild, but they are the only ones to fan the flames of this speculation. In fact, during a 2022 interview with GQ, Radcliffe himself revealed that he had been guilty of fueling the rumors, citing that he tends to get bored during press tours, so responds with jokes that get blown out of proportion. The fact that Radcliffe himself has admitted to exacerbating his rumored casting as Wolverine proves just how light-hearted he finds the whole ordeal, though he also revealed something else that proves a role in the MCU for Radcliffe isn’t too far-fetched.

It’s purely a press tour rumor; I say something, and then occasionally I get bored of answering that way, so I say something different, and that sets it off again. I should just never open my mouth.

There had been speculation that Daniel Radcliffe might be averse to joining yet another multi-movie franchise after appearing almost solely in Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011, and this would be a fair assumption which could negate an opportunity in the MCU, particularly as a character as involved as Wolverine. However, during his interview with GQ, Radcliffe put these worries to rest, suggesting that he would have no qualms about joining a huge franchise such as the MCU. GQ noted that Radcliffe “won’t shoot down the possibility of taking on another franchise… [Radcliffe] stresses that flexibility is paramount, above all,” which could hint at a potential future in the MCU.

2 Daniel Radcliffe Comments On Weird Al Movie Wolverine Reference In 2022

One of Daniel Radcliffe’s more recent roles featured him appearing as parody musician and comedian “Weird Al” Yankovic in 2022’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, directed by Eric Appel. During the film, Radcliffe’s Weird Al gets angry after It’s suggested that he take roles in existing movie franchises, which Appel and Radcliffe noted to Comicbook.com sounded very similar to the latter’s real-life fan-casting in the MCU, though it apparently wasn’t intended this way. Released on November 4, 2022, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’s potential Wolverine/Radcliffe connection led to one of the more recent rises in these MCU casting rumors.

Appel: I mean, when we wrote it, it wasn’t based on [the viral Wolverine comments]. But it’s funny how when you cast someone like Dan, these things take on like a little bit of a new context.

Radcliffe: With the Wolverine thing, it’s just something that I mistakenly like… I’ll be very honest and just be like, “That’s not a thing and that’s not happening.” And then every so often, I’ll be bored of answering like that and I’ll be like, “Ha, come in and get me Marvel!” And like, that was the dumb thing to say. Why do I ever say that? So, and then it sort of resurfaces for a bit but, yeah, it’s not something that I’m like… I’m not annoyed by it in the way that Al is annoyed by it in the movie, like at all. I don’t flip my lid every time.

Unfortunately, despite this moment in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story bearing some similarities to the real world fan-casting of Daniel Radcliffe as Wolverine, Appel’s confirmation that it wasn’t originally written this way means it was simply a matter of coincidence. Even so, Radcliffe once again voiced his tendency to fuel these casting rumors, which has only made these rumors stronger. Over the years, several MCU actors have denied being involved with Marvel Studios prior to appearing on the screen, so the same could be happening with Radcliffe, though it does seem unlikely that Wolverine will have already been cast, particularly since Jackman is set to return in 2024’s Deadpool 3​​​​​​​.

1 Daniel Radcliffe Debunks Wolverine Casting Rumors In 2023

For many, Daniel Radcliffe is difficult to separate from the image of the young wizard in the Harry Potter franchise, but the actor has recently undergone a huge physical transformation that has only fueled Wolverine casting rumors. Released on August 28, 2023, the season 4 finale of Miracle Workers saw Daniel Radcliffe show off his muscular transformation, which led to many attributing his new physique to his potential casting as the MCU’s Wolverine. Nevertheless, Radcliffe once again denied these rumors during a lie-detector test with Vanity Fair, noting that he got buff because he’s “obsessive,” not because he’ll be playing Wolverine.

No. Yes! [laughs when asked if he got buff for no reason] I got buff because I am obsessive, and I want to…you’ve seen my parents, they’re like insane fitness people. So that’s just been passed on…but no, no Wolverine. Flattered, but no.

Despite Radcliffe always shooting down the rumors of his casting in the MCU, his development over the last few years has only made these rumors stronger and more convincing. Not only has Radcliffe branched out into a wider variety of genres and roles following the conclusion of the Harry Potter franchise, but his impressive physical transformation and joking comments regarding the Wolverine rumors have only added fuel to the fire. With the recent news that Marvel Studios is making strides with the MCU’s X-Men reboot, it’s possible that viewers won’t have to wait much longer for confirmation of Wolverine’s new actor, whether it be Daniel Radcliffe​​​​​​​ or not.