Director Lee Daniels calls 'Wolverine' pitch the 'worst meeting of my life'

Director Lee Daniels details why his 'Wolverine' pitch was the 'worst meeting of my life'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 3/5/21

Hugh Jackman led The Wolverine on screen in 2013, and James Mangold directed the Marvel installment.

But there's a backstory, as revealed by Lee Daniels to Collider:

"A lot of actors call me. I remember after I did Precious, Hugh Jackman called and wanted me to do a Wolverine. And he sent me into the studio to Fox, I guess that's where they do them at. And I had never done a studio film before, and it was a disaster, and I literally pulled over ... I pulled over to the Kentucky Fried Chicken afterwards and ate a whole six-pack of wings. It was the worst meeting of my life. I don't know how he gets Wolverine from Precious, but I love him and he's a friend to this day."

Daniels introduced himself as a Hollywood heavy hitter when he directed 2009 drama Precious, which won two Oscars and earned Daniels two Oscar nominations:

From there, sans Wolverine, Daniels went on to direct and produce award-winning Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)—starring the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker—and serve as executive producer on hit Fox television series Empire. The 61-year-old's latest directorial offering, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, arrived to Hulu last week:

As for the Wolverine franchise, the 2013 iteration was a marked improvement from X-Men Originals: Wolverine (2009) and set Mangold up to direct Oscar-nominated Logan (2017).

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