As the Deadpool & Wolverine bandwagon rolls off into the sunset of its theatrical run, actors who we once rumored to appear in the movie continue to discuss their “almost” moments. One of those actors is Liev Schreiber , who played Sabretooth in the heavily criticized X-Men Origins: Wolverine back in 2009, and was shocked to learn how much fans actually wanted him to appear in this year’s summer juggernaut.
When X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released, the film didn’t necessarily disappoint in terms of box office, but there were many aspects of the movie – especially Ryan Reynolds’ disastrous first appearance as Wade Wilson – that led to it becoming one of several panned X-Men releases that arrived 20th Century Fox’s tenure of the franchise between 2000 and 2019.
However, despite Reynolds taking a shot at the movie – literally in Deadpool 2 – and no one putting it at the top of their favorites list, the film has that strange nostalgic air that had many fans longing to see some of those characters back on screen again. As this was one of the main premises of Deadpool & Wolverine, there were a lot of fans who were disappointed to see Tyler Mane reprise his original Sabretooth role in the movie, but not Schreiber. The actor himself was just surprised so many people wanted to see him again. He told Collider:
“I was so surprised that we had that many fans, and I was so surprised that people were campaigning for me to be in the new
Deadpool
movie.”
“It’s amazing. I can’t begin to tell you what it feels like when people are thinking about something you did and are so appreciative of it that they want you to do it again. To be honest, it’s a lot of work getting your body up to that point. I know I watched Hugh [Jackman] get himself ready again, and I thought, ‘I’m okay to sit by the sidelines.'”
Deadpool & Wolverine Has Revived Interest in Many Old Marvel Movies
While Schreiber did not appear in Deadpool & Wolverine to provide another connection with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there were plenty of other legacy Marvel movies that did get a nostalgic nod in the film. The biggest cameos in the movie called back to both Marvel hits and misses from the last three decades, including Chris Evans’ return as Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm, Jennifer Garner as Electra, Wesley Snipes as Blade, and even the long-lost what-could-have-been Channing Tatum’s Gambit appearance.
The appearance of these old stars of the Marvel multiverse has caused a lot of chatter about the possibility of them returning for their own projects, or as part of Avengers: Secret Wars. Ryan Reynolds has actively campaigned for Wesley Snipes to get a shot at an “Old Man” Blade movie, while fans have swamped social media for Marvel Studios to revive the canceled plans for Tatum’s lost Gambit movie.
While there is always a chance that fan pressure could manifest these projects into being, Marvel Studios has a very busy slate to contend with, and a more contracted output model following a troubling couple of years. With many other projects already in development, the idea of these characters returning again in more than just a cameo capacity is highly unlikely. However, as has been proven with several other Marvel projects, no one is ever really gone from the Marvel franchise, so who knows what lies around the corner?
Deadpool & Wolverine
is still playing in cinemas. A digital and streaming release date is yet to be announced.
