Very few would argue against the fact that Hugh Jackman is one of our biggest movie stars. The man could cost solely on his portrayal of the world famous X-Men member Wolverine, which he recently revived for the 2024 summer blockbuster Deadpool and Wolverine. But even outside of the superhero genre, Jackman has been nominated for an Oscar (for Les Miserables), hosted the Oscars, collaborated with celebrated auteurs, and banked more than $7.5 billion in worldwide box office. And one massive contributor to that overall total was Michael Gracey’s 2017 musical The Greatest Showman… which Jackman almost left before it ended.
Michael Gracey is recently traveling the world with his latest musical effort Better Man, an unorthodox biopic of British sensation Robbie Williams that spans his career from his early days as a member of Take That to debilitating lows. During an exclusive interview with CinemaBlend, Gracey talked about some of his own obstacles in his career and told the story of Hugh Jackman, who had tried his hand as a relatively unproven filmmaker. . . and had almost walked away from the project.
According to Gracey:
It’s famous that in my first movie I had a moment (which I don’t mind talking about, because Hugh has talked about it in interviews) where Hugh tried to walk away from The Greatest Showman. If Hugh had left The Greatest Showman, this movie would never have been made. This only came about because he supported me as a first-time filmmaker to make a huge original musical. Which, at that time, did not interest anyone. But there was a moment, after many, many years of following him and many, many years of not knowing it, when Hugh called me into the room and said, “I’m out. “We’re not going to do that. ” And I had to convince Hugh to come back to the movie.
It obviously worked, because Hugh Jackman made the impression in the original musical, based on the life of P. T. Barnum, and it turned out to be one of the most financially successful films on Jackman’s resume. Powered by original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman has become a giant, winning over enthusiasts and audiences week after week to gross $459 million internationally versus $84 million. reported dollars. And at least it didn’t happen. At least, according to Michael Gracey. Then I guess you can thank him for this song:
If you liked Hugh Jackman’s The Greatest Showman, you should check out Better Man, as it delivers the same impressive musical numbers as Gracey in the previous film. Only, by shaping the exhibition around the music (and the personality of Robbie Williams), Gracey has created an edgy pop entertainment unlike any film available recently.
And whilst you’re at it, browse our consultant to the upcoming 2025 films hitting theaters in the coming weeks and months, to plan your next to the multiplex.
Sean O’Connell is a journalist and editor-in-chief of CinemaBlend. On the site since 2011, Sean has interviewed a host of directors, actors and makers and created ReelBlend, which he proudly hosts alongside Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. . And he’s responsible for LAUNCHING SNYDER’S CUT, the MIGHTY Spider-Man short story e-book, and an upcoming e-book about Bruce Willis.
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