Report: Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman B'way bound

Together again for the first time — Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig — on stage.

Nothing has been officially confirmed but two of Hollywood's reigning hunks may be paired next fall on Broadway in "A Steady Rain," a two-character drama by Keith Huff.

The New York Post reported Wednesday the actors were set to star in the play about two Chicago policemen, friends since childhood, whose lives take divergent paths after an unnerving incident.

"A Steady Rain" was a big hit in Chicago in September 2007 at a small theater and transferred the following year to another venue for a commercial run.

The Chicago Tribune called the play an "exceptionally rich, gritty and emotional drama ... it will get you right where you live," while the Chicago Sun-Times cheered its "action-packed storytelling."

Huff, who has a master's from the University of Iowa's Playwright's Workshop, has extensive regional theater credits. "A Steady Rain" would be his Broadway debut. A telephone call to his agent, John Buzzetti, seeking confirmation of the production, was not returned.

"A Steady Rain" would also be the New York stage debut for Craig, who skyrocketed to film stardom as the latest cinematic James Bond. Jackman, the movies' Wolverine from all the "X-Men" movies, proved to be a major Broadway box-office draw five years ago, playing entertainer Peter Allen in the musical "The Boy from Oz."

The Post said "A Steady Rain" would be produced by Barbara Broccoli, whose father was Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who began the enormously lucrative James Bond film franchise.

In a video posted in January on YouTube, Huff talked about casting "A Steady Rain" with famous actors. The playwright told Chicago-based writer Mark Bazer: "I think it would be kind of cool to see Daniel Craig do it. My wife would be happy."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hlHqJx5NVYWwJKSQ1t7Y_ChqI5TAD98ES00O0

Hugh Jackman to launch `Wolverine' in Mexico

Hugh Jackman has been cleared to visit Mexico.

Film distributor 20th Century Fox says the actor will help launch "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" in Mexico City on May 26. Last week, Jackman's scheduled appearance there was canceled due to swine flu concerns.

The Mexico premiere will be held at the National Auditorium. According to Jackman's Twitter page, the "Wolverine" star intends "to provide a moment of fun escapism and a treat for some of the loyal fans of the comic."

Movie theaters across Mexico reopened Thursday after a five-day shutdown of businesses, schools and other venues. Mexico announced its 45th death and 159 more cases Friday.

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Hugh Jackman slashes his way back in 'Wolverine'

Hugh Jackman on Friday slashes his way back to his starmaking role as a razor-clawed mutant in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" after his glitzy turn hosting the Oscars and starring in romance "Australia" that flopped at U.S. box offices.

The change is good for the Aussie star because of the exposure it brings, but despite the box office appeal of the "X-Men" movies, Jackman said these days he leans more toward starring on Broadway, where he won a Tony.

It's Jackman's fourth turn as tough-talking Wolverine, a role he won in the 2000 film "X-Men," fresh from starring in a London stage production of the musical "Oklahoma!"

"There's no doubt that as soon as this movie came out, that my career was like a Great Dane dragging me down the street," Jackman told Reuters about the last nine years of his career.

The 2000 "X-Men" made $296 million at worldwide box offices and helped usher in the latest wave of comic book movies. The 2003 "X2" topped that with $408 million, and the 2006 "X-Men: The Last Stand" burst past it at $459 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media by Numbers reckons "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" could fetch from $85 million to $100 million at U.S. box offices on its debut weekend -- the first weekend of Hollywood's summer season.

Jackman, 40, said playing Wolverine has been a challenge because of the "sustained energy" he needs while shooting.

"Underneath you've got to feel he's ready to explode all the time," he said of the character.

BACK TO ITS ROOTS

True to its title, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" focuses on the early years of Jackman's character, leaping back to his childhood discovery of claws that spring from his knuckles.

The film introduces moviegoers to the Wolverine that comic book readers know best, when the U.S. government grafts the indestructible metal Adamantium onto his skeleton giving him the razor sharp weapons he wields naturally from his arms.

Wolverine believes his brother Sabertooth killed Wolverine's girlfriend and vows to hunt him down. But along the way, he gets caught in a secret U.S. program and eventually faces a twisted enemy to super-powered mutants like himself.

Jackman said that to get in shape for the movie, he worked out, drank protein shakes and ate meat at every meal, chowing down every three hours and waking up at 3:30 a.m. for more.

He did all that during the shoot for 2008 epic "Australia," which got director Baz Luhrmann worried as his star actor started looked bulkier from one scene to the next.

"Baz came to me and said, 'Mate, I need you to kind of back off a little bit. I'm struggling to edit the movie,'" Jackman said with a chuckle, chewing on a toothpick.

"Australia" was a hit internationally, making $162 million in that market and only $50 million in the U.S. and Canada.

Jackman splits his time between Australia and New York, each one a "base" for him, his wife and two children.

The actor said he wants to do a movie musical, and he expects to soon star on Broadway after his role in stage musical "The Boy from Oz", about gay singer Peter Allen, earned Jackman Broadway's top honor, a Tony.

But would Jackman consider melding his love of musicals with his biggest role in the movies: a Wolverine musical?

"There's a couple of outtakes that exist which, if they ever got out, I'd be absolutely killed," he joked. But as any fan of Wolverine will tell you, that's not easy to do.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUKN2834883620090428

Wolverine gala shuns LA glamour

The small city of Tempe, Arizona hosted the world premiere of blockbuster Wolverine after winning a competition.

Fans had to complete a form on the film's website. Tempe, a desert suburb of Phoenix with a population under 200,000, logged the most entries.

Lead actor Hugh Jackman roared into the event on a motorbike and declared "I love this place. I'm moving here."

The rest of America must wait until 1 May for X Origins: Wolverine, which opens in the UK on 29 April.

Dedication

Tempe fans beat finalists from nine other US locations, from big hitters Las Vegas and Philadelphia to small town hope Zelienople, Pennsylvania, population 4,123.

Jackman loves talking to fans

Jackman praised the dedication of ticket-holding fans who had been waiting outside the cinema since three in the morning to catch sight of him.

"No one in LA is sleeping out overnight when they already had tickets to the best seat in the house," he said.

He was joined by other stars from the new film including Liev Schrieber, Will.i.am and Lynn Collins.

Ryan Reynolds, who plays the mutant Deadpool, thought this could be the way forward: "LA has had its fair share of Hollywood premieres. So has New York.

Fans who queued overnight enjoyed the unexpected spotlight on Tempe

"This is the way to do it. You get to be interactive with the fans," he added.

Local resident Paul Morales, 20, was one of the ticket holders who also queued to see the celebrity arrivals. "It's tiring waiting for the tickets but it's so worth it" he said.

"I'm proud of my hometown for getting the recognition it deserves for hosting a premiere like this, I couldn't be more ecstatic," he added.

Flu delay

Meanwhile, fans in Mexico will have to wait much longer for the film.

Its release has been delayed as the outbreak of swine flu in the country has forced many cinemas to close.

The Mexican premiere of Wolverine, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday night, has also been cancelled due to fears for the health of actors and studio staff who would have attended.

A spokesperson for Twentieth Century Fox said: "We were not only concerned about Hugh's welfare - and we would never send anyone into harm's way - but we also have an enormous office filled with people we care about.

"There was no point in proceeding under the current conditions"

The premiere event may be rescheduled in the coming weeks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8022094.stm

Hugh Jackman sinks hands into Hollywood history

Hugh Jackman, star of the upcoming "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," immortalized his name in Hollywood history on Tuesday by sinking his hand and foot prints into cement outside the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater.

The movie house on Hollywood Boulevard is a key tourist attraction, where for 82 years stars such as Cary Grant and Judy Garland have been honored by stamping their own signed hand and foot prints into the theater's forecourt.

Jackman recalled a previous trip to the venue with his wife, saying it was the first Hollywood landmark he visited in Los Angeles, and while there he put his hands into the prints of late comedian Peter Sellers.

"Here we are, 12 years later," he told a crowd at the ceremony.

"It's a very humbling moment as an actor to be here. You look down at the names, from Fred Astaire to Cary Grant, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Steve McQueen, John Wayne, and to think that those people have been immortalized and pretty soon I'll be putting my hands in wet cement," Jackman said, before planting his palms in the concrete.

In two weeks, the Australian actor debuts the new "X-Men Origins" movie, reprising his role as conflicted "mutant" Wolverine, who battles other, evil mutants trying to control the world.

Wolverine has sharp blades that protrude from his knuckles. He is among the most popular of X-Men comic book characters on which the films are based. There have been three "X-Men" movies, and combined they have grossed more than $1.1 billion at global box offices.

Jackman, 40, is known as a versatile actor who has starred in a range of movies from action adventures like "Swordfish" to romances such as last year's "Australia." He has enjoyed a Tony-winning stage career on Broadway and recently hosted Hollywood's Oscars.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE53L04D20090422

Hugh Jackman Heartbroken by Wolverine Leak

The reigning Sexiest Man Alive doesn't think what happened to his new movie is very sexy.

"It's a serious crime and there's no doubt it's very disappointing – I was heartbroken by it," Hugh Jackman said Wednesday about last week's Internet leak of a work print of his X-Men Origins: Wolverine. "Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job."

While Wolverine is set for official release on May 1, its studio, 20th Century Fox, says the FBI and the Motion Picture Association of America were investigating who might have pirated it and have promised to prosecute the culprits.

As part of a world tour to promote the movie, Jackman, 40, previewed about 20 minutes to about 600 fans in Sydney, Australia, and said he didn't think the Web leak would harm eventual cinema attendance, the Associated Press reports. The star made his entrance from a helicopter – and then to the ground on an aerial wire.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20270859,00.html

Hugh Jackman promises a naked Oscars

Oscar host Hugh Jackman plans to reveal more than most at Sunday's awards ceremony.

"I haven't told anyone this, but we are going to do most of it naked and we're going to sing through the whole show," the affable actor joked during an interview backstage at the Kodak Theatre. "In fact, all the acceptance speeches are going to be sung. There will be some interpretive dance behind them, and I really think it will be beautiful and touching."

But don't expect People magazine's "sexiest man alive" to show everything.

"There will be a strategic leaf placed here or there," he said. "We don't want to be distasteful or anything. This is a raw night. This is the Oscars. Raw emotion, that's the quality we're going for."

The 40-year-old entertainer has hosted the Tony Awards three times, but this is his first time in the Oscar spotlight.

"If I hadn't done the Tonys, I think I'd be a lot more nervous than I am," he said.-AP

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