Hugh Jackman could be our Odysseus in Francis Lawrence’s The Odyssey

Although I doubt that Hugh Jackman will be hard up for work once he hangs up Wolverine's claws for the last time in WOLVERINE 3, it never hurts to have a potential franchise waiting in the wings. The Wrap reports that Hugh Jackman is in early talks to lead Francis Lawrence's adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey" for Lionsgate. Set after the fall of Troy, "The Odyssey" follows Odysseus on his ten-year journey back to his home in Ithaca. Along the way his ship is blown off course and he and his crew must deal with all variety of gods and monsters.

Francis Lawrence, who has directed each film of Lionsgate's THE HUNGER GAMES franchise except for the first, was signed on to direct THE ODYSSEY in April which Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said could span multiple films. There's certainly more than enough material to build several films around if that's the direction Lionsgate is heading, and with a star like Hugh Jackman leading the charge, we could be looking at Lionsgate's next big franchise. A representative for Jackman confirmed the reports to The Wrap but said that the talks were merely conversation at this point and that nothing is confirmed.

Would Hugh Jackman be a good fit for Odysseus?

Hugh Jackman's next film also has the actor take to the seas, Joe Wright's PAN will be released on October 9, 2015. Jackman's final turn as Wolverine is still in the scripting stages but is scheduled for a March 3, 2017 release.