Hugh Jackman in talks for Blackbeard role in Joe Wright's Pan

Hugh Jackman could be set to take on his first bad guy role, with Variety reporting that the X-Men star is in talks with Warner Bros. about portraying the ruthless pirate Blackbeard in the studio's upcoming Peter Pan origin tale Pan, which is being directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Anna Karenina).

According to the site, Blackbeard will be the main antagonist in Pan, with Jackman becoming Warner's number one choice after Javier Bardem (Skyfall) passed on the role. Captain Hook will also be present in the film, starting out as Peter's ally before turning bad; the report goes on to suggest that Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives) has been on the studio's radar for Hook, while an open casting call is expected to be held for the title role.

Pan is currently set for release on June 26th 2015.