Hugh Jackman surprised X-Men fans by announcing on social media that he'll soon be leaving the role of Wolverine behind.
Jackman took to Instagram to break the news with an image of Wolverine's claws along with the caption "WOLVERINE... ONE LAST TIME. HJ". It is expected that Jackman's last time playing the iconic character will happen in The Wolverine 2.
Jackman began playing Wolverine in 2000 when the original X-Men film arrived in theateres. Since then, the actor has portrayed the mutant in seven films including a cameo in X-Men: First Class. Jackman's most recent performance as Wolverine came in last summer's X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Jackman's sudden announcement comes as a shock to fans who've watched him in the role for over a decade. He's recently expressed interest in playing
Wolverine until his death and one day seeing the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jackman's departure likely means that the character will not be appearing in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse or the Deadpool and Gambit spinoffs.
Production on The Wolverine 2 is scheduled to begin in early 2016.
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