That Time X-Men 2’s Cast Nearly Quit After Hugh Jackman Was Injured On Set

Hugh Jackman in X-Men 2

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Years before Cinematic Universes became commonplace, the X-Men franchise was in theaters. Beginning with Bryan Singer's original 2000 blockbuster, the mutant-centric property ended up continuing for a whopping 13 movies including Deadpool and The New Mutants. But there's been some controversy around Singer's behavior on set, with a story recently coming to light where the majority of X-Men 2's cast nearly quit the project after Hugh Jackman was injured.

With the proper X-Men franchise at an end and Bryan Singer under fire for a variety of allegations, THR recently did a deep dive into the various controversies that have plagued the property over the years. One of which reportedly involves the cast of the sequel gathering outside Singer's trailer and threatening to walk out of the highly anticipated blockbuster.

According to the extensive report, X-Men producer Tom DeSanto clashed with Bryan Singer during production for X2: X-Men United. The controversial filmmaker was reportedly incapacitated and under the influence of narcotics while working behind the camera, which is when DeSanto was concerned over the safety of the cast.

Bryan Singer allegedly pushed for a risky stunt to be recorded, despite a lack of a stun coordinator on set since the sequence was scheduled to be filmed the next day. Hugh Jackman was ultimately injured and bleeding as a result, with Tom DeSanto shutting down the set. But the studio reportedly sided with Snyder, and wanted DeSanto to leave the set. That's when the cast got invovled.

According to the in-depth report, the cast of X-Men 2 (with the exception of Ian McKellen and Rebecca Romijn) gathered in full superhero regalia outside of Bryan Singer's trailer. They reportedly threatened to quit of Tom DeSanto was removed from the set. Ultimately this campaign as successful, although Singer would go on to direct future installments of X-Men franchise Days of Future Past and Apocalypse.

X-Men Days of Future Past and Apocalypse are both streaming on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

The X-Men franchise might have been historic, but the film sets weren't free of their set of controversies. The various allegations made of Bryan Singer have also shut down any future directing gigs he had like Red Sonja. While Simon Kinberg completed the X-Men franchise with Dark Phoenix, there's no doubt still some negative feelings about the property after learning about the on set drama.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things X-Men as details become public. in the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.