Hugh Jackman in Talks to Star in Tom Hooper’s LES MISERABLES

To say Hugh Jackman is versatile is a bit of an understatement. The guy can go from dark and brooding in X-Men to unbelievably charming and lively as host of the Oscars and the Tonys, as well as starring in Broadway’s The Boy from Oz. Given that he’s not too shabby at the whole song and dance thing, it makes perfect sense that he’s currently in talks to star in The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Les Miserables. Variety reports that Jackman is currently in negotiations to take a starring role in the Universal flick, and THR reports that he’s eyeing the role of protagonist Jean Valjean. Now, onto the casting of villainous police inspector Javert.

Les Miserables will be Hooper’s first project since winning the Best Director Oscar for last year’s The King’s Speech. William Nicholson (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) wrote the screenplay based on the stage musical, which itself was based on the classic Victor Hugo novel. Jackman’s schedule opened up when Darren Aronofsky dropped out of The Wolverine at the last minute, leaving Fox scrambling to find a new director.