Hugh Jackman has shown time and time again how versatile he is as an actor. From playing intimidating and serious characters like Wolverine to being in the musical The Greatest Showman, he proves that there isn’t anything he can do.

With him being able to play pretty much any type of character, the star has the freedom to pick and choose the type of roles he would like to play.

Hugh Jackman

The one well-known fact about Jackman is that he is quite fond of musicals, from Les Misérables to The Greatest Showman, and he enjoys singing on screen while in character.

However, regardless of this, he is still incredibly selective about what projects he will be in. An example of this is 2004’s The Phantom Of The Opera.

Was Hugh Jackman Supposed to Be in The Phantom Of The Opera?

Joel Schumacher, best known for his Batman franchise, made his own reimagining of the classic The Phantom of the Opera in 2004. This film followed quickly after the unexpected success of  Moulin Rouge, so it was expected to do quite well.

The production process was intricate and the casting was done selectively. Only a few actors were selected and Hugh Jackman was one of them along with the 300 actor Gerard Butler. The role ended up going to Butler, which disappointed many.

Hugh Jackman

“They rang to ask about my availability, probably about 20 other actors as well. I wasn’t available, unfortunately. So, that was a bummer.” Hugh Jackman on being a part of The Phantom Of The Opera
To the public’s dismay, Jackman was busy filming his movie, Van Helsing, at the time so was unable to take part in the project. This movie was well-received but the audiences were quite disappointed by Bulter’s singing capabilities and believed that Jackman could have done a better job than him.

Hugh Jackman Sidestepped A Massive Flop

It would seem that The Phantom Of The Opera isn’t the first time Hugh Jackman has not to a role due to scheduling issues.

The 2005 movie Sahara, starring Matthew McConaughey, was originally supposed to star Jackman but was busy with a Broadway project and the production team refused to wait for him. This seems to be a good thing as this movie has been labeled as McConnaughey’s worst movie throughout his career.

Actor Hugh Jackman

It seems that Jackman dodged more than one bullet as aside from the poor box office performance of this movie, there was also some behind-the-scenes drama and even some legal troubles.

Clive Cussler, the author of the book that was adapted, was fighting for control over the movie. There were also apparently some tax-dodging government-bribing activities going on which led to court trials.