Hugh Jackman will play Blackbeard in the upcoming film "Pan." (Photo : Reuters)
Hugh Jackman, the Australian actor known for playing the Wolverine in the X-Men series of films and hosting the Tony Awards, appeared at a fan meet held at the Times Square shopping center in Hong Kong on Monday to promote his latest film, "Pan."
The film is directed by Joe Wright and also stars Levi Miller as Peter Pan, Garret Hedlund as James Hook and Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily.
The British-American fantasy film is based on the popular J.M. Barrie story, "Peter Pan," telling the origin story of the beloved boy who never grew up.
"Pan" is scheduled to hit Hong Kong cinemas on Oct. 8, a day ahead of its North American release on Oct. 9. The film is then scheduled to be screened in mainland Chinese cinemas on Oct. 22.
"Who doesn't want to play a pirate?" Jackman commented at the fan meet, as a drove of his fans blocked the streets.
"Grown men love playing pirates," Jackman said, as he explained how the villain Blackbeard was a dream role for him. "It's a family movie. Although the pirates are scary, it's kind of funny, too," he added.
During the event, Jackman also commented how he believed audiences around the world would fall in love with the 11-year-old Miller after they see him as the film's lead.
"Pan" was originally scheduled for release in July, but it was pushed back to October. Though the postponement meant that the film would not have to compete with summer blockbusters like "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" and "Ant-Man" in North America, it would still end up having to compete with the latter in mainland China when the Marvel superhero film is released there on Oct. 16.
The film premiered to mixed reviews on Sept. 20 in London.
