Given Fox’s love for mutant cameos, it seemed a given that X-Men: First Class would take a moment and gaze on Hugh Jackman’s muttonchops.   Speculation reached a fever pitch over the past few days, with numerous sites and sources reporting that Jackman was filming a cameo.  Apparently he was sighted around Georgia, where some of the filming was to take place.

Not true, says Bryan Singer to The Coventry Telegraph: “He’s not in the movie, he’s in the Wolverine movies.” (But aren’t the Wolverine movies … oh, never mind.)

Fox issued a further denial. “X-Men hasn’t started shooting in Georgia yet and if Hugh was in Georgia, it wasn’t for this movie.”   Wouldn’t it be great if the Jackman sighting was just some guy wearing a Wolverine Halloween costume?  Considering the paparazzi have been shooting Jackman incessantly in New York, I’m half convinced it was just a talented cosplayer seen lurking around Jekyll Island. 

But back to the rumor shootdown. Color me surprised there’s no cameo.  Given the studio’s gleeful destruction of the X-Men mythology, it’s hard to believe they’re not going to include a cute little scene where Professor Xavier meets Wolverine, and asks him to join the X-Men.  “Maybe later,” says Wolverine, with a sardonic eyebrow cock, and glance towards the camera. 

The fact that they’re not reaching out for such corny moments might just stir up a little more hope for X-Men: First Class. It means they’re taking it more seriously than they took X-Men Origins: Wolverine (aka “Who the hell else can we fit in here?”), and that alone can quicken the heart.  Is it possible Fox has learned from their mistakes? Between Matthew Vaughn, Darren Aronofsky, and bits like this, I want to believe they have.

But if this news leaves you absolutely crushed, and you have thousands upon thousands of dollars to burn, you can go buy yourself a few hours of workout time with Wolverine. It’s ok to get shirtless with a good looking man if it’s for charity, you know.