Impossible Casting Changed the Course of Marvel Movies Forever

The Marvel Comics adaptations and Mission: Impossible series are two of the most recognizable and long-running film franchises today. The Marvel films, which include those from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as separate films made by 20th Century Fox and Sony, and the Tom Cruise-centered franchise famous for its life-or-death stunt choreography, show no signs of slowing down in financial viability or popularity. And bizarrely enough, at the dawn of the 21st century, these two franchises converged at a pivotal crossroads that altered the course of mainstream cinema for the foreseeable future.

For Mission: Impossible 2, the John Woo-directed sequel to the original 1996 film, Dougray Scott was cast as the lead villain pitted against Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. For Scott, a relatively unknown Scottish actor who previously appeared in Deep Impact and Ever After, getting the chance to perform elaborate combat scenes and stunts with Cruise was a huge break. In the film, he played Sean Ambrose, a rogue IMF agent in possession of a deadly virus and its remedy. The plot machinations and action sequences of M:I-2 are expectedly ridiculous — even for a Mission: Impossible film — but this doesn’t affect the great fortune benefited to Scott by being billed second in a notable summer 2000 blockbuster.

Mission: Impossible II

IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called “Chimera”.

Release Date

May 24, 2000

Rating

PG-13

Runtime

123 minutes

Behind-the-Scenes Drama Caused Scott To Lose Out on Wolverine

Things continued to fall in Scott’s favor when he was cast as Wolverine in the upcoming X-Men film that would be released just following Mission: Impossible 2. Initially, director Bryan Singer wanted to cast Russell Crowe as the famous mutant. Crowe, who was scheduled for an Oscar-winning turn in Gladiator, turned it down, but he recommended his close friend, the then-unknown Hugh Jackman, to Singer. However, Singer decided to go with Scott, who, with supporting roles in two massive summer films, was on the cusp of emerging as a household name. Until, that is, the epitome of bad luck arrived knocking at the door. The Mission: Impossible franchise has a history of troubled shoots, script rewrites, and behind-the-scenes accidents. The second installment was no different. Action set pieces were created before a script was finished, according to screenwriter Robert Towne. In 2020, female lead Thandiwe Newton opened up about her unpleasant experience working on the film, recalling that she was “scared” of Cruise and his domineering attitude. The creative positions of these films are also frequently in a state of flux. Early into production, Oliver Stone was attached to direct M:I-2.

Amid a tense set and Cruise’s demand for practical stunts that put himself in harm’s way (seen in the film’s famous opening scene where Hunt is free solo climbing), Mission: Impossible 2 fell behind schedule. To literally add insult to injury, Scott was inflicted with a shoulder injury during a shooting, putting his availability for X-Men in question. Because this was such a substantial project for Fox, they couldn’t afford to waste time. Scott’s commitment to Mission: Impossible 2 and on-set injury forced Singer and the studio to re-cast Wolverine. Scott was out, Jackman was in, and the rest is history. The Australian actor’s stardom would be launched because of the role, and his tenure as the mutant with razor-sharp claws would last 17 years, appearing in numerous X-Men films and off-shoots.

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Recently, Scott sat down with The Daily Telegraph in 2020 and revealed that none other than Cruise denied him from appearing in X-Men. “You’ve got to stay and finish the film,” Scott recounts Cruise telling him. Despite promising he would finish Mission: Impossible 2, Cruise would not let him begin shooting X-Men, according to Scott. “He was a very powerful guy. Other people were doing everything to make it work.” It’s unfortunately then that Scott has become synonymous with being on the wrong end of a casting “what if?” Though, at least publicly, Scott seems magnanimous about the state of affairs, stating in the Daily Telegraph interview that he respects what Jackman accomplished as Wolverine. “He’s a lovely guy,” he said.

While Jackman would become universally adored as Wolverine, Scott’s portrayal as the villain in perhaps the most derided Mission: Impossible film faded away into obscurity. The domino effect of Scott’s commitment to the film on the future of Marvel movies and cinema at large is immeasurable. Singer’s X-Men films were a hit both financially and critically — proving that films adapted from Marvel Comics could be legitimate and crowd-pleasing, and Jackman’s presence was integral to their fabric. His Wolverine was granted three separate standalone films, including the highly acclaimed revisionist take on the superhero, Logan.

How Wolverine’s Re-Casting Affected the Future of Marvel

It’s impossible to theorize how well Scott would have done in the role of Wolverine, but his ability to reach the same heights that Jackman achieved feels implausible. Who’s to say that the X-Men films land with the public in the same way if Scott was ultimately cast? By the nature of the butterfly effect, this could have shaken up the core of mainstream cinema, which is today dominated by comic book adaptations.

And while everyone thought Logan was the perfect send-off to Jackman’s Wolverine, we now know that Jackman will be returning to the screen as the famed mutant in the upcoming Deadpool 3. As for Scott, his career never soared to the heights that Jackman has reached. He was a recurring star in Season 3 of Desperate Housewives, portrayed Arthur Miller in My Week with Marilyn, and starred in Taken 3 in the aftermath of Mission: Impossible 2. His near miss as Wolverine emphasizes the amount luck can play in a Hollywood career. Jackman’s portrayal as Wolverine is widely celebrated, making the image of the comic book character inseparable from the actor.

In addition to an accomplished Broadway career in his repertoire, Jackman’s life was drastically altered due to Scott’s injury or Tom Cruise’s stubbornness — whichever one may be true. Without a captivating performance of a fan-favorite character in the X-Men universe, maybe there is no Spider-Man trilogy from Sam Raimi. Or maybe Robert Downey Jr. never signs on with Marvel, ostensibly launching the MCU. In an alternate universe, without Jackman as Wolverine, the entire film industry could be unrecognizable, for better or worse.

Mission: Impossible II is available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+ in the U.S.

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