Logan: Director James Mangold Explains Why Hugh Jackman Had to Shave for the Movie to Work

Logan director James Mangold explained why Hugh Jackman had to shave for the movie to work. Both the franchise star and director James Mangold were along for Comicbook.com’s Quarantine Watch Party of the X-Men movie. So many secrets and little-known facts were shared during the watch party, but the mystery around why x24 looks like that lingered in the air. Fans were stoked to hear that in the decision making for the film, Mangold opted to roll with a shaved look for the younger mutant. However, that actually presented another challenge that required a quick-thinking solution. In Jackman’s case, it is a good thing that hair grows back, and you don’t have to be Wolverine to have the process carry out quickly.

“Here is a shot I did of @RealHughJackman in prep trying to find the look of x24 (Weapon X),” Mangold shared. “Note Hugh has the Logan beard which he would eventually shave before he ever played X24 in the film.”

In a later tweet, the director wrote, “We had to figure in prep was how we were going to move Hugh between an X24 look & Logan look during production. I wasn’t happy with his X24 look till we cut off all his hair, which of course meant he was gonna have to play Logan in a wig.”

Here’s Marvel’s synopsis for Logan:

In 2029, the mutant population has shrunk significantly and the X-Men have disbanded. Logan, whose power to self-heal is dwindling, has surrendered himself to alcohol and now earns a living as a chauffeur. He takes care of the ailing old Professor X whom he keeps hidden away. One day, a female stranger asks Logan to drive a girl named Laura to the Canadian border. At first, he refuses, but the Professor has been waiting for a long time for her to appear. Laura possesses an extraordinary fighting prowess and is in many ways like Wolverine.

She is pursued by sinister figures working for a powerful corporation; this is because her DNA contains the secret that connects her to Logan. A relentless pursuit begins … In this third cinematic outing featuring the Marvel comic book character Wolverine we see the superheroes beset by everyday problems. They are aging, ailing, and struggling to survive financially. A decrepit Logan is forced to ask himself if he can or even wants to put his remaining powers to good use. It would appear that in the near future, the times in which they were able put the world to rights with razor-sharp claws and telepathic powers are now over.

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