Hugh Jackman Cast in Pan, Will Compete Against Marvel's Ant-Man on Opening Weekend

Hugh Jackman has made Marvel (via 20th Century Fox's X-Men film franchise) a lot of money over the years, but now it seems he's after their booty. The X-Men: Days of Future Past star has signed on to play Blackbeard the pirate in Pan, Warner Bros.'s big-budget version of Peter Pan, directed by Joe Wright and opening the same day as Edgar Wright's Ant-Man in 2015. The date, July 17, 2015, had originally been earmarked for Batman vs. Superman, but when that movie was delayed, Warners moved Pan into the slot and set the Man of Steel sequel to compete with an as-yet-unannounced Marvel release (widely thought to be Doctor Strange) in May 2016. Marvel reciprocated, moving 2015's Ant-Man into the slot to compete with Pan. "I'm very excited," Jackman told The Huffington Post of his casting. "I love it. I love the director Joe Wright, I love working with Warner Bros. and I think this is just really exciting. It's a very cool project. And it's wonderful for my kids!"