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It seems the buzz surrounding comic-based movies generated by this past weekend's San Diego Comic-Con — not to mention the success of The Amazing Spider-Man and the fever pitch level of anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises, which opens this Friday — has prompted several studios to start making some progress on their own superhero movies. Yesterday, we learned that Marvel Studios will be adding some much-needed diversity to its cast of heroes, with the news that Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) could be joining Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon. Now, we've learned that the long-in-devlopment Lobo live-action movie may have found its headliner, and Hugh Jackman will be squaring off with a green-haired vixen in The Wolverine.
Shelved after original director Guy Ritchie dropped out in January 2010 to focus on the sequel to Sherlock Holmes, the Lobo movie gained new life this past April with the hiring of Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) to rewrite and direct the adaptation. It seems that Peyton really enjoyed directing Dwayne Johnson in The Mysterious Island, because the actor formally known as "The Rock" revealed that he might be playing the space-faring bounty hunter and all-around badass "bastich" in the movie.
Rumors of me possibly playing LOBO are true. [Producer] Joel Silver and Brad Peyton working on it now. That could be fun.. ?#RockTalk
more about Lobo & The Wolverine >> Posted 07.17.12 by BrentJS -
If director James Mangold's (3:10 to Yuma) The Wolverine hadn't been beset by weather, script and scheduling problems — title star Hugh Jackman opted to star in the musical version of Les Miserables rather than wait for those issues to be sorted out — the movie would currently be in post-production, with potentially enough edited footage to offer at least a teaser at this week's San Diego Comic-Con. As it is, Mangold is spending his time in the casting room, rather than the editing room, as he tries to put together a cast to support Jackman. In the last several days, six actors have joined the cast of The Wolverine, which takes Logan (Jackman) far away from his X-Men teammates and his wilderness retreat in Canada to Japan, where he must fight against the Silver Samurai and the deadly Hand ninjas at his command.
who will join Jackman? >> Posted 07.11.12 by BrentJS -
With all the buzz surrounding the promotional campaign for The Dark Knight Rises, it's easy to forget Anne Hathaway has another high-profile movie headed to theaters — Les Misérables, which recently debuted its first trailer.
In the musical, Hathaway reunites with Hugh Jackman. The duo memorably sang and danced together during the 2009 Oscars, and then Hathaway targeted an ironic performance of "On My Own" from Les Misérables at Jackman during the 2011 Oscars. In the movie's first trailer, it's a maudlin and shorn Hathaway singing "I Dreamed a Dream" over scenes of Jackman and the rest of the cast.
watch the trailer >> Posted 06.04.12 by Ryan -
From the post-credits sequence in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it was clear that Hugh Jackman was heading to Japan for the sequel. Back in 2009, Jackman said "Japan is where we're heading" for The Wolverine, and revealed that the movie would be based on the classic 1982 Marvel Comics limited series by writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller, which was set primarily in the Land of the Rising Sun.
While the movie will still be set in Japan, it was announced last week that the production would move to Fox Studios Australia facilities in Sydney, implying that Australia would have to be dressed to look like Japan. Luckily, that isn't entirely true. At CinemaCon, Fox chairman and CEO Tom Rothman told MTV that Japan is still in the mix for The Wolverine.
both australia and japan on the schedule >> Posted 04.27.12 by Ryan -
Wolverine is going walkabout...again.
In a recent announcement made by Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner, it has been revealed that 20th Century Fox has chosen to return to franchise star Hugh Jackman's home state of New South Wales, Australia, to film The Wolverine, likely using the same Fox Studios Australia facilities in Sydney where portions of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was filmed in 2007. Stoner hailed Fox's decision as "a testament" to Australia's screen industry, and estimated that the production would generate "more than $80 million" in expenditures and create more than 720 jobs for cast and crew.
more about The Wolverine >> Posted 04.20.12 by BrentJS -
20th Century Fox has finally scheduled a release date for The Wolverine, its oft-delayed, stand-alone sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Actor Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Marvel Comics' most popular mutant for the fifth time on July 26, 2013, ComingSoon reports.
The Wolverine hasn't had an easy time marching toward its release date, as original director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) quit a month before production was set to start. Once new director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line) jumped on board to replace Aronofsky, a November start was eyed, but bad weather delayed the shoot until sometime after Jackman finished his work on the musical adaptation of Les Miserables. While no official start date has been announced, production will have to start sometime this summer if the movie wants to reach its release date.
more about The Wolverine and This Means War's new date >> Posted 02.08.12 by Ryan -
Aussie superstar Hugh Jackman has built his career on the brawny back of Marvel's most popular mutant, Wolverine, in 20th Century Fox's X-Men movie franchise. But, to many, Jackman's lean, mean physique in the X-Men team movies and in his stand-alone movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, never quite fit the look of the squat powerhouse depicted in the comic books. In fact, when Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) accepted the helm of the non-sequel sequel to Origins, The Wolverine, he told Jackman that he wanted him to transform from looking like Clint Eastwood to looking like the "powerful, stocky...short and thick" Wolverine in the comic books.
Even though Aronofsky is out and James Mangold (Knight and Day) is in as director, it appears that Aronofsky's mandate to "get bigger" is still in effect. Jackman recently revealed that he is under orders to "bulk up" for the role after getting dancer-slim for his one-man show, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, which opened last week.
what did Jackman say about his "body" of work? >> Posted 11.06.11 by BrentJS -
The Wolverine has had an easy ride so far. The stand-alone sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine was doing well last year when Hugh Jackman confirmed that director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) was set to direct the movie from a script by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects). A month before production was set to start, however, Aronofsky balked about the lengthy Japan-based shoot and quit, beginning a long search for a replacement, out of which James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line) emerged from a shortlist of contenders.
Mangold, so far, has had little to say about the movie publicly, but, with production stalled until Jackman finishes work on a musical adaptation of Les Miserables. Jackman has said that Mangold has a "clear vision" of where he would like to take The Wolverine, and the director shared a little of what that vision was in a recent interview with MTV.
I was just really intrigued by the script and the project and the boldness of making a really personal Wolverine movie. But it's also more of a journey for the character in a completely foreign land and more of a mystery and an adventure than it kind of is another save the world X-Men film.
mangold discusses the movie's action, story, and rewrites >> Posted 10.31.11 by Ryan -
There's plenty of time to wait for The Wolverine, the non-sequel sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. When weather caused a delay, Hugh Jackman agreed to shoot a musical adaptation of Les Miserables in February, which ultimately caused the Wolverine shoot to be pushed off until spring 2012.
Fans have never been patient, especially since Jackman has called the Wolverine script, which was loosely based on the classic Marvel Comics limited series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, "the best script yet" and then revealed that the character of Wolverine will be a "little darker" than in previous movies. But how dark? Enough for a R-rating. Jackman discussed that possibility in an interview with MTV.
Two versions of The Wolverine? >> Posted 10.11.11 by Ryan -
It's been a bumpy road for The Wolverine. It first lost its Academy Award–nominated director, got a new director but then was delayed by weather, and finally received a rewrite in the past year and is now on hold until Hugh Jackman to finishes work on a musical version of Les Miserables.
Had everything gone to plan, The Wolverine would have started shooting in April but, a month before, director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) dropped out. In a recent interview with The Playlist, Jackman revealed that he had been trying to work with Aronofsky again (the last time was 2006's The Fountain) for a while.
His personal life precluded him from making the movie. I asked him to do X-Men 3, I asked him to do Wolverine one and he said, "It’s not so much for me." And then he read this and said, "Man, I’m in. This is the best comic movie script I’ve ever read" and he’s been dying to do one for a long time.
jackman talks rewrites and mangold's "clear vision" for Wolverine >> Posted 09.27.11 by Ryan