Petition For Danny DeVito To Play Wolverine Is Gaining Steam
Several thousand Marvel fans have a pretty interesting idea about who should be next in line to play Wolverine.
With the adamantium-infused mutant's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe imminent, a Change.org petition suggesting Danny DeVito for the role has gone sailing past 50,000 signatures.
Wolverine, of course, was ably portrayed by Hugh Jackman in eight films produced by Fox Studios over the course of nearly 20 years. Although the role would rather quickly become his signature, it's easy to forget that there was a significant amount of fan pushback upon his initial casting. It wasn't necessarily that he didn't look the part, and his acting ability was never in question; rather, it was his height that had some fans questioning whether Jackman would make a good Logan. The actor is 6'2", and in Marvel comics canon, Wolverine is famously diminutive — almost always depicted as being no taller than 5'3".
Taken in this context, the suggestion of DeVito to take over the role makes a fair amount of sense. DeVito is also famously diminutive at 4'11", and — with his typically gruff, no-nonsense demeanor — it's easy to see him nailing Logan's characteristic surliness. Sure, there may be no two actors quite so different from each other than Jackman and DeVito, but those 50,000-plus fans would likely tell you that this is exactly the point.
The petition itself reads: "The only man able to take the throne after Hugh Jackman. We believe that if Wolverine is to make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the only man able to pull it off is Danny DeVito... [his] height is a lot closer to the comic books portrayal of Wolverine... [and] we all saw Danny's portrayal of the Trashman. So, we know he is fully capable of fighting, and that he is not afraid when things get dirty!"
As of this writing, the petition is closing in on a whopping 55,000 signatures.
What are the chances Marvel will actually cast Danny DeVito as Wolverine?
With that many people psyched about the idea, it's worth asking if there exists even a slight possibility that Marvel Studios would actually consider casting DeVito as the new Logan. Well, dear reader, there is an answer to that question: no. Not in a million years; in Doctor Strange's 14,000,605 realities, there may have been only one in which the Avengers defeated Thanos, but there are none in which Wolverine looks just like Danny DeVito. Mickey Mouse has a better chance of being cast as the Silver Surfer.
"But, Looper," we can hear you asking, "how can you be so sure?" There are several reasons, but one is glaringly obvious: DeVito is 75 years old. (We know — he doesn't look it, does he? We'd love to get in on his "beloved by millions of fans all over the world" anti-aging regimen.) After the Mouse House's acquisition of the film and television assets of Fox Studios, it was widely reported that all of the X-Men would be recast (except Deadpool) before their entry into the MCU, and it's easy to see why: these are characters which Marvel would like to stick around for more than just one or two movies.
In Logan, Jackman's swan song as the character, he convincingly portrayed a much older version of Wolverine; the film was, in fact, based on the comics storyline "Old Man Logan." The reason for the Great Recasting of the Mutants which will soon take place is so that Marvel can stock up with actors who will be able to portray the X-Men for years and years to come; if Jackman is too old for his version of Logan to be ported over to the MCU, then DeVito is way too old to even be considered.
Even if that weren't the case, it's not at all clear whether the extreme physical demands of playing so vicious a fighter as Wolverine would be anywhere near DeVito's wheelhouse. Sure, he's gotten a little scrappy onscreen before — heck, he's even been in a superhero film before, having played Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin in 1992's Batman Returns. For those keeping score at home, that was nearly 30 years ago — and even if he had been in suspended animation since then, he probably still would have been too old for Marvel to consider him for the role of Logan.
We hate to shoot this one so completely full of holes, because DeVito is a national treasure — but this is one piece of dream casting that will never, ever materialize. Likewise, among those who have been rumored to be up for consideration, we're of the opinion that Keanu Reeves (55), Tom Hardy (42), and Charlie Hunnam (39) will all be aced out due to their respective ages.
Among the younger actors whose names have been bandied about, we're thinking that Daniel Radcliffe and Taron Egerton, who are both 30, each have a decent shot. But if you ask us, the role should go to the dark horse contender: Dacre Montgomery, who portrayed Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things. He's only 25, he looks the part, and he's an absolutely amazing actor.
Sorry, DeVito fans, but we sincerely doubt you'll ever see the actor in the MCU — that is, unless we get that Marvel/It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover everyone's been clamoring for.