Broadcasters will be preparing their Wolverine vs Deadpool puns for a potential Norwich-Wrexham showdown if Jackman completes an investment in the Canaries.
Actor Hugh Jackman has revealed he is in talks to buy a stake in Norwich City, raising the possibility of another Hollywood star owning an English football club.
In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, the actor said he is “very, very interested” in investing in the Championship club and is in talks to make it a reality.
Jackman, best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men film series, has supported Norwich since childhood due to a connection through his mother, who is from the city.
He explained that while growing up in Australia, the FA Cup was one of the English football competitions he was able to watch and, after discovering his mother came from Norwich, chose the Canaries as his team.
“I went to Carrow Road a couple of times, and I love the Canaries,” he told talkSPORT.
Jackman was asked whether he could follow his friend and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds into football ownership, with Reynolds working with Rob McElhenney to lead Wrexham.
“I’m very, very interested and talking about it right now,” Jackman said.
He also predicted that both Norwich and Wrexham will win promotion to the Premier League this season, though the Canaries have only managed to win one of their first four league matches this season.
Following the Wrexham script
When Reynolds and McElhenney first announced plans to take over Wrexham in 2020, the pair spoke about turning the Welsh club into a “global force”. At the time, Wrexham were still playing in the National League and had spent more than a decade outside the English Football League.
However, what followed has become one of football’s most talked-about ownership stories.
The club secured three promotions in four years, climbing from non-league football into the Championship and its global profile surged significantly through the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.
Commercial growth has also been followed by investment off the pitch, including redevelopment work at the Racecourse Ground. The club is developing a new Kop Stand as part of plans that would take stadium capacity to more than 18,000.
The overwhelming success has helped make celebrity ownership attractive across English football, with Tom Brady involved at Birmingham City, Michael B. Jordan at Bournemouth and Ed Sheeran holding a minority stake in Ipswich Town.
Who owns Norwich City?
Norwich City would be a very different investment proposition to the one Reynolds and McElhenney took on at Wrexham.
The Canaries were playing in the Premier League as recently as the 2021/22 season and have an established stadium, fanbase and commercial operation, meaning Jackman would be joining a club with significantly more existing infrastructure.
The club has also recently undergone a major ownership change, with American businessman Mark Attanasio, who owns Major League Baseball side the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming Norwich’s majority shareholder after first investing in the club in 2022.
It was this change that ended the long period in which Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones were the club’s controlling shareholders.
Interestingly, Jackman’s potential involvement has roots in Smith’s time at the club, with the actor revealing that he had been approached about investing in Norwich years ago but turned down the opportunity.
Wrexham’s rise under Reynolds and McElhenney has shown how celebrity ownership can increase a club’s profile in the US, attracting new supporters and making lower-league fixtures internationally followed events.
In 2024, Wrexham featured in three of five matches chosen to be shown at Cosm’s immersive entertainment venues in Los Angeles and Dallas, which was mainly due to their following in the country.
Broadcasters in the UK have alos used its celebrity ownership to drum up views, with Wrexham’s meetings with Birmingham City promoted around the clubs’ celebrity connections.
