ROTTEN TOMATOES: Kodi Smit-McPhee Sticks to The Road, Drops Out of Wolverine

Kodi Smit-McPhee Sticks to The Road, Drops Out of Wolverine

Plus: A new Wolverine set report!

by Jeff Giles | March 03, 2008

If forced to choose between starring in a project about an adamantium-clawed superhero and one based on a Pulitzer-winning Cormac McCarthy novel, what would you do?

If you were Kodi Smit-McPhee, you'd opt for the latter, at least according to ComingSoon, where it's being reported that the young Australian actor has done just that, dropping out of a role as young Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine due to scheduling conflicts with his part in The Road.

Wolverine is moving right along; Smit-McPhee has been replaced with a "13-year-old Perth resident" named Troye Mellet. While Mellet gets ready to play young Wolvie -- perhaps on some of the freshly built sets described in a new report (with photos!) over at Ain't It Cool News -- Smit-McPhee will be doing a whole lot of walking alongside Viggo Mortensen.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens May 1, 2009; no release date for The Road has been announced yet.

Source: ComingSoon
Source: Ain't It Cool News

Related Items

Movie:	The Road
Celeb:	Viggo Mortensen
	Cormac McCarthy
	Kodi Smit-McPhee

(1-17 of 17 posts) | Reply

Hynes02 writes:
on Mar 03 2008 05:30 AM

Well, at least his career is safe...

(Reply to this)

Gimy writes:
on Mar 03 2008 05:31 AM

ok woah woah woah..."starring" as wolverine? please say thats an overreaction to 2 minutes of a flashback scene or the INTRO. don't make me worry this flick is going to have an extended YOUNG wolverine...thats something that i do NOT wanna see. hasn't Jake Lloyd taught us that kids suck in action flicks? the only good kid that made a movie better was "Shorty" in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

(Reply to this)

Jeff Giles writes:
on Mar 03 2008 05:39 AM

In reply to this comment (#1614036)
Doctor Jones! Doctor Jones!

(Reply to this)

walkingdead09 writes:
on Mar 03 2008 05:43 AM

Shorty, ha. Forgot about that guy, nice to bring that up.

(Reply to this)

faliklunj writes:
on Mar 03 2008 05:52 AM

After the Oscars awarded to the Coen Bros. for their adaptation of McCarthy's novel, No Country for Old Men, no actor would pass it up for yet another crap super hero movie, especially this franchise.

(Reply to this)

rustdog writes:
on Mar 03 2008 06:21 AM

If the kid pulls it off he could win an oscar. This is a very powerful role, that will take some serious acting.

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Elixor writes:
on Mar 03 2008 06:45 AM

I'm with you Gimy. If they do any more than a short flashback as Wolverine as a kid (which they also probably don't need to do), this movie is going down at least two more notches and off of the list of movies I'm looking forward to seeing.

And a kid isn't winning any oscars for this movie, not a chance.

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on Mar 03 2008 06:53 AM

In reply to this comment (#1614036)
that kid also stole 'the goonies' in his follow-up role as richard 'data' wang. and guess what, he went on to choreograph wolverine fight scenes in the original x-men movie. wow, this really came full circle, didn't it?

(Reply to this)

rustdog writes:
on Mar 03 2008 07:44 AM

In reply to this comment (#1614084)
Kids have won oscars for lesser roles. Read the book.

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on Mar 03 2008 07:59 AM

Young Boba fett anyone?

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Mar 03 2008 09:04 AM

In reply to this comment (#1614084)
That would depend on the quality of the script (yeah yeah, I know). Still, give the kid a powerful arch, and like magic he's got a chance at pulling off an award worthy performance. Personally, I'll be happy so long as it doesn't turn out reminiscent of young Matt Murdock. Ugh! I shudder the thought.

(Reply to this)

Dark Knight jr. writes:
on Mar 03 2008 01:24 PM

Hmph, minor news...

(Reply to this)

wingnut171 writes:
on Mar 03 2008 02:14 PM

Smart kid. Or smart parents. Or agents. Whoever it is that's responsible for this showed some seriously sharp decision-making skills.

And while nobody's winning any Oscars for "Wolverine"...obviously...I would not rule out anyone in "The Road", even in its pre-production stages. Smit-McPhee will be playing one of only two real characters in the book, and the role is chock-full of despair and disillusionment and personal connection and everything else the Academy likes to see.

(Reply to this)

Ashron writes:
on Mar 03 2008 03:08 PM

As to kids not being good in action movies, I offer Carrie Henn as "Newt" in Aliens. Shame she didn't continue her career, although working with Cameron probably turned her off to moviemaking forever.

(Reply to this)

Ashron writes:
on Mar 03 2008 03:11 PM

I meant to say I offer her as proof to the contrary. She was excellent in the film.

(Reply to this)

jeremyd4 writes:
on Mar 03 2008 09:51 PM

Speaking of "Short Round" (not "Shorty")... I think Spielberg is one of the best at handling child actors - look at ET, AI, Jurassic Park for instance. The kids don't seem to be as annoying, which in the case of Haley Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning, is quite an achievement.

Even films he's just produced on (i.e. The Goonies) he just seems to get it right. The young Indiana Jones played by River Phoenix (ok, so he wasn't that young) was just another example of good casting IMO.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Mar 04 2008 03:15 AM

In reply to this comment (#1615396)
Shyamalan is another good example of a director with a talent for directing children. Even Shyamalan haters aught to agree with that.

(Reply to this)

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