Hugh Jackman has suggested that his next performance as Wolverine in 2017 might not be his last in an interview in China, where he was promoting X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is set for release next week (May 22).

Hugh Jackman as WolverineHugh Jackman as Wolverine in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

The news comes after the star had to deal with a second bout of skin cancer. He told The Associated Press: "I'm realistic about the future and it's more than likely that I'll have at least one more but probably many more, which is not uncommon for an Aussie particularly from English stock growing up in Australia where I don't remember ever being told to put sunscreen on."

He added: "But the beauty of this is it's all preventable, it's just about getting proper check-ups. I can be typical man, a little lazy, I couldn't be bothered and now I'm not lazy at all."

And while Jackman has previously stated that  he would appear in the X-Men films beyond the next one, which is scheduled for release in 2017, he did admit he may have been quick to suggest that. "I think I might have overplayed my hand a little bit by saying I'm almost sure that the next one will be my last," he explained.

More: 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Navigates Complicated Plot and Entertains, Say Critics

X-Men: Days of Future Past sees Jsckman as Wolverine head back to 1973 with a view to changing history, coming across the younger versions of wel-known X-Men along the way. And for the Australian actor, China’s huge potential is something Hollywood should seek to excavate even further, something that is apparent in the latest X-Men movie with the casting of Fan Bingbing and a pre-Hollywood Beijing premiere last Thursday. 

"The Chinese market in particular is just booming, so the larger the market becomes the more the stories are going to reflect what that market wants," he explained. "I see collaboration in every way as a positive. At the end of the day audiences sniff out cynicism, they sniff out if something is just a marketing driven thing."

Watch the trailer for 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'