Hugh Jackman has portrayed the character Wolverine in seven movies since "X-Men" hit theaters back in 2000. While he has considered whether or not he would be returning to the franchise, he announced via Instagram that he would be playing Wolverine "one last time."
Prior to his post, it was safely assumed by the movie-going public that he would be making an appearance in "X-Men: Apocalypse" as well as the spin-off films like "Deadpool" starring Ryan Reynolds and "Gambit" starring Channing Tatum.
With only one guaranteed appearance left, it means his last run as the character would be in the third planned "Wolverine 3" movie that re-unites him with "The Wolverine" director, James Mangold.
It has not yet been confirmed if he will be making any cameos in the announced films.
During a 2011 interview cited by Movie Fone, Jackman revealed that his appearance in "X-Men: First Class" was an un-credited cameo that almost didn't make it into the final product. Perhaps he could do the same for "X-Men: Apocalypse" and still fulfill his contract to star in "Wolverine 3."
"The Wolverine 3" is set to release on March 3, 2017 and it is rumored that Patrick Stewart may also play a large role in the film. No plot for the film has been released although it is speculated to occur in the "fixed" future shown at the end of "X-Men: Days of Future Past."
Jackman leaving the franchise follows on the heels of Jennifer Lawrence's and Nicholas Hoult's announcements that they, too, would be done with the franchise after the release of "X-Men: Apocalypse."
It is likely that the franchise will now lean on the shoulders of Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lana Condor, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The newcomers will take over as Jean Grey, Cyclops, Jubilee, Storm, and Nightcrawler respectively.
