Hugh Jackman Announces via Instagram that ‘Wolverine 3’ will be his Last to Portray the Character

Hugh Jackman's tenure in the role that made him a star will be coming to an end in 2017. Jackman took to Instagram this morning with a cryptic post teasing that the upcoming third standalone Wolverine film will be his final appearance as the character.

According to a report by Deadline, while it's strange to think of Wolverine not being portrayed by Jackman, when the still-untitledWolverine 3 hits theaters March 3, 2017, it will mark his 17th year playing the character. That's long time no matter how you look at it, even if you're as preternaturally youthful as he is.

Jackman's most recent appearance as Wolverine was in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The sequel to that film, X-Men: Apocalypse, is set for release May 27, 2016. Though it has not been confirmed yet if Jackman will appear in the film, fellow X-Men veterans Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan have already confirmed they won't be reprising their roles as Professor Xavier and Magneto. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence will be returning, along with a cast of new actors playing younger versions of characters such as Jean grey, Cyclops, Storm, and Jubilee.

David James Kelly will be writing Wolverine 3, from a treatment by The Wolverine (2013) director James Mangold. Lauren Shuler Donner will be producing.

Apart from X-Men series and Wolverine, Jackman will be seen next with the upcoming 2015 fantasy film directed by Joe Wright,Pan. The Australian actor will play the role of Blackbeard and will star Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Amanda Seyfried and Levi Miller as the titular character. Pan's release date will be on July 24, 2015.