Hugh Jackman suggests Tom Hardy for young Wolverine

LONDON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Hugh Jackman suggested Tom Hardy to play young Wolverine in an interview with MTV International published Thursday.

The 46-year-old Australian actor proposed the 38-year-old English star when pressed about his potential replacement in the Marvel franchise. Jackman will portray the mutant in a final standalone film before giving up the role to a younger actor.

"I've been asked that question a lot and I'm always like, 'Don't make it too easy on the studio to replace me,'" he joked. "I've still got one more [movie] to do ... He's younger than me, for sure -- Tom Hardy would be a great [choice]."

Jackman confirmed in May that Wolverine 3 will mark his final appearance as the X-Men character. He played the character in the 2000 movie X-Men and three X-Men sequels, in addition to the 2009 standalone X-Men Origins: Wolverine and its sequel.

Jackman's final Wolverine film is scheduled for release Mar. 3, 2017. The actor is also scheduled for Broadway 4D with Christina Aguilera and The Greatest Showman on Earth, and will next play Blackbeard in the Peter Pan movie Pan.

"[Director] Joe Wright had a picture of my face, with wig of Marie Antoinette and the body of Louis XIV," he recently told reporters at a London screening of Pan. "On seeing that, I said, 'I'm in.'"