Hugh Jackman rescued the Oscars in February, as his first time hosting the kudocast led to a 13% bounce in the ratings. Now the Aussie hunk is hoping to work the same magic on his movie career. He produced  and stars in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which opens Friday. This special-effects laden movie is already being touted as the first blockbuster of the summer.

Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in the hugely successful "X-Men" trilogy and — as the title suggests — this new film shows us the backstory of that character. Jackman faces off against Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth while Ryan Reynolds backs him up as Deadpool. With his leading man status shaken by the poor reception to "Australia," Jackman needs "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"  to be a hit.

Hugh Jackman was heavily involved in getting this project made. While there are lots of popcorn movie veterans working behind the scenes, the project was directed by Gavin Hood, who was an interesting choice for the job. The South African director helmed the Oscar-winning foreign film "Tsotsi" in 2005 and followed that up with the political drama "Rendition" in 2007. The script for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is by David Beniof, who picked up a 2007 BAFTA nod for his adaptation of "The Kite Runner," and Skip Woods, who worked with Jackman on "Swordfish."

Whether these serious-minded moviemakers can elevate this comic-book-come-to-life to the next level and satisfy the critics remains to be seen. However, a movie like this is review-proof for at least the first weekend or two. Expect Jackman and company to rule the box office — at least until "Star Trek" opens May 8.

RELATED POSTS:

Emmy rule change snubs Tina Fey, Hugh Jackman and Jon Stewart

Can Hugh Jackman continue the Oscars' love affair with Emmys?

Sneak Peek: See Hugh Jackman warming up his Oscar act

Photo: Twentieth-Century Fox

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.