Kevin Smith Thinks a Tom Cruise Wolverine Film Would Be Huge

If we assume that Wolverine will appear in the MCU along with the X-Men (and he will), Kevin Smith has an idea of who should play him. The filmmaker was discussing the announcement of the next two Mission: Impossible films and said he wants to see the A-lister join the comic book world, taking over for Hugh Jackman.

“My only downside for [the next two Mission: Impossible movies] is it sounds like he’s going to be busy then and I look forward to them bringing him into the comic book world,” Smith said (per Cinema Blend). “Like, I think he’s ripe for a Marvel takeover.”

When Smith’s co-host Marc Bernardin suggested William Stryker as a possible role for Cruise, Smith countered, “No, f**k that, make him Wolverine.” Bernadin pointed out Cruise’s age, to which Smith said, “I don’t give a s**t, dude. Tom Cruise as Wolverine makes a billion dollars. Yes!”

Jackman has said repeatedly that he is done with the role following his work in 2017’s Logan. And despite the efforts of Ryan Reynolds and the impending arrival of the X-Men into the MCU, he has stayed firm on his comments to date. Cruise is relatively rare in that he’s an action star who has yet to make even a brief foray into superhero cinema. However, he has shown a tendency toward genre fare, starting with 1994’s Interview With the Vampire and extending to the current day with sci-fi films like Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow. (There was also The Mummy, but let’s just forget about that one.

That said, Cruise’s known reputation for having considerable creative control over every aspect of his films — he has famously been involved in creative directions and even marketing efforts — may hinder his chances of getting a Marvel role. There’s also his age, though Cruise’s love for doing his own stunts show that he’s not afraid to get physical despite being in his mid-fifties. There were rumors last summer that Cruise was in consideration to star in a Green Lantern reboot as Hal Jordan in the DCEU, but he is said to have passed.

This is all moot for now, as the Fox acquisition isn’t complete yet and Marvel won’t be able to begin talking about how to bring the X-Men in until that happens. That’s expected to be soon.