Variety reports that 20th Century Fox has chosen May 1, 2009 — the familiar, and profitable, first official weekend of summer — to release X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
That’s right, the spin-off now has a confirmed title.
Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Gavin Hood, will begin shooting later this year in Australia before moving to New Zealand and then to New Orleans. The trade paper notes that the latter location could mean the inclusion of Gambit in the storyline which, as the title suggests, deals with Wolverine’s early years.
According to Variety, Liev Schrieber is reportedly in final talks to play the younger version of William Stryker, portrayed in X2 by Brian Cox.
Wolverine is expected to feature many mutants, some new to the movie franchise and some from the previous three installments.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Damn, I thought this’d be ready for 2008. Oh well, still look forward to it. I don’t really like the title, though. Should’ve just been called “Wolverine”.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I cannot BELIEVE this is what Hugh Jackman’s career has come to, but literally every non-X movie he’s made has been a bomb. And upcoming is that CBS singing Casino show that is sure to last two episodes…
October 18th, 2007 at 10:31 am
God, I hope Gambit doesn’t show up.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:35 am
it already stinks! anything with liev schrieber is gonna bomb…there goes the franchise
October 18th, 2007 at 10:38 am
“I cannot BELIEVE this is what Hugh Jackman’s career has come to, but literally every non-X movie he’s made has been a bomb.”
Happy Feet? The Prestige?
October 18th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Sheesh. All this negativity. Yeah, people were sure X-Men was going to bomb, too. Give it a rest, already.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Hugh is a great actor and seems like a great guy. I give him props for sticking with the franchise when he doesn’t have to. He muct like it, believe in it and we are better for it!
October 18th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Even if this movies stinks, ANY Wolverine movie is better than NO movie at all!!!
October 18th, 2007 at 10:54 am
It should be called Wolverine – Weapon X, also, would love to see them switch it up this time around and put a mask on Hugh. And throw in an appearance by Gambit just for the hell of it.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I actually like the title. It keeps the franchise together and will connect it with Magneto.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:03 am
This feels like it’s gonna suck. A Bourne identity toned adaptation of the original mini would have been much better. Japan love honor and redemption vs. hackin’ away at Sabertooth in the snow. We saw that in the first flick.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:06 am
It’s cool how the negativity on this post was full force before it dissipated…
Seriously, haters. Knock it off.
It’s got a prestigious young director, the promise of other mutants appearing..
And oh yeah, Gambit.
I’m there!
October 18th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I hope Maverick will appear in some form, honestly, that’s the only character I’m really hoping made the jump from the story to the screen.
But Origins, geez that smacks of No Way’s crappy Logan spin off comic.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:25 am
The Fountain was amazing. Hugh is a great actor.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:27 am
To be followed by X-Men Origins: Magneto, ect…
October 18th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Between his work on the X-Films and his appearances in The Fountain and The Prestige, I think Jackman deserves a little credit. It’ll be great to see him portraying Wolverine for the 4th time and Liev Schrieber is a fine actor and perfect fit for a “young” Brian Cox. Hopefully, these X-Men: Origins are a box office success and eventually pave the way for X-Men 4, 5, & 6.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Wow, can’t wait for SUCKFEST: 2009. This project sounds 37 shades of awful.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I’m sorry. What exactly sounds so awful about it? They haven’t even given any real info besides the title and one additional actor. And besides, have you ever seen a Gavin Hood film? Spectacular. I have all the faith in the world.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Damn people! We comic geeks are just the most negative bunch!
You have to give the guy some credit for sticking with the franchise and character that made his career.
I won’t make any snap judgments on this one. I’ve been around long enough to know that there is not a single comic based film that can please every comic fan.
I keep hoping these films, be they good or bad, are inspiring the next gen of comic fans to pick up a comic.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Here’s hoping it’s just called Weapon X when it comes out. Please no Gambit. His omission from the first three movies was one of the the best things about them.
I suppose the chances for an X-Men: First Class movie are getting less and less likely as the time goes on, but still I keep the faith.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
I had hopes awhile ago Gambit would be involved in the Wolverine film. Very cool! Those two played off each other well in the comics back in the day. Hope the involvement of New Orleans isn’t a big tease.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
” cannot BELIEVE this is what Hugh Jackman’s career has come to”
He has a Tony you know.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
i hate the tile, why don’t they just use Wolverine or Weapon X like someone said here…
other than that, this has potential, i’m glad they’re using the weapon x storyline, hope they don’t screw it up
October 18th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS LATEST NEWS!
CANT WAIT TO SEE THIS FLICK.
CHEERS TO ALL!
October 18th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
What a lame @$$ title…. ugh.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Just once I’d like to see a comic-book accurate comic-book movie…
(fingers crossed)
October 18th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
We comic geeks ARE a negative bunch! This movie is going to be great! with the exception of X3 the X films have been great(and I’m a DC guy!!!) and Hugh Jackman is a great actor. I notice the Prestige was mentioned negatively, and that movie was brilliant. These are films based on almost mythic characters so if you are living in cynic-ville you probably won’t be satisfied
October 18th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
How can Gambit be in a prequel?? This is set in Wolverine’s past…Gambit would have to be a little kid…perhaps a small cameo of a little kid thief trying to steal from Logan?
October 18th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
“How can Gambit be in a prequel??”
The same way that Iceman and Angel could be the same age as Kitty in the other movies? So far the films haven’t been entirely faithful to comics continuity.
October 18th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
please need gambit fix
October 18th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Gambit? I`m all for it! And if you throw Nightcrawler and Kitty into the mix, I`d die happy!
October 18th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
The title will probably become just Wolverine eventually and it looks like it will rock.
Hugh Jackman has a great career and also manages to do theatre in Australia.
October 18th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
The Prestige was fantastic.
Now if we can get Wolverine to actually sing a song…
October 18th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
it seems like they named it origins: wolverine because they wanted to leave room for other characters to get a movie from the x-men, for instance they could do “x-men origins: magneto” etc etc
still think this is gonna suck though.
October 18th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
“I cannot BELIEVE this is what Hugh Jackman’s career has come to, but literally every non-X movie he’s made has been a bomb.”
The Fountain was great dude.
And someone already mentioned HappyFeet and The Prestige.
Which means that everything else (that I can remember) was a romantic comedy…and those just all suck in general.
October 18th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
if you are filming in new orleans,you better include gambit, no doubt. i doubt it will include madripoor or the yashida clan, but defiantely weapon x.
October 18th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Sounds pretty cool so far. I’ve been collecting X-Men and Wolverine for about 20 years now and I’ve been happy with all 3 X-Men films. I have faith that Wolverine will be just as good. I wish it weren’t set in the past though and instead made it follow X3 and set in Japan against Silver Samurai. We’ve already seen Weapon X and Sabertooth. Gambit would be awesome…he’s a great character when written well. He needs his own movie though…not star in a Wolverine film. The title is okay, but what would the sequel be…X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2? Just leave it as Wolverine.
October 18th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
I am studying abroad in New Zealand in the Spring; hope I get to see them!
October 18th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
It figures the elitist fanboys here would bash a movie starring a actor who has made his own career through his pure astounding acting talent when they HAVEN’T seen the movie yet.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I’m hoping this is much better than the third X-Men movie… 1 was great, 2 was still pretty good.
Hope this movie starts out just finding him in the wilderness, then shows him becoming a weapon for Weapon X, and finally in New Orleans as a backdrop for Madripor
But i’m doubting that…
October 18th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
ya…. and redemption coming in madripor, breaking the mind control, and setting sale for Japan… (continuation from previous thought)
October 18th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
2009 is still QUITE a ways off. Most likely due to the supposed strike happening in 2008.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Oh and I’d rather not have them explore the ninja years. And, apparently all the female ninjas in the Marvel universe have breast implants.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I would say that it can not be as bad as the last X Men movie, but who knows. I will hold judgement until I at least see a trailer or two.
willyd said- I cannot BELIEVE this is what Hugh Jackman’s career has come to, but literally every non-X movie he’s made has been a bomb.
yeah you’re right The Prestige was soooooooo bad. Not as bad as Van Helsing and oh my god who can forget that awful Swordfish. My wife did like Kate and Leopold though.
What a cotton headed ninny muggins.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
And MAYBE “Ultimate Hulk VS Wolverine” Issue 3 will be out during the same time.
Nah, I doubt it.
October 18th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Why bother posting anything if you’re just going to sound negative. If you don’t like the idea and concept then go read another article…better yet, do yourself and everyone else a favor and just don’t go see the movie.
October 18th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
It’s amazing how much hateration there is for Jackman. Come on, this guy IS Wolverine. He’s defined the character solidly for a generation of comic (and otherwise) fans. Even when the movies he’s in aren’t that great, he elevates the material.
Then again, I loved “Swordfish,” but I don’t claim to represent the tastes of all fandom.
Probably the only things I don’t like are that clunky title–just call it “Wolverine”–and Hugh’s horrible Wolverine wig. I didn’t really see it in “X3″ on the big screen, but at home and in that picture, it really looks trashy. 2009 is plenty of time for him to grow his hair out again.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
that point about what the sequel would be called is a good one. xmen origins wolverine 2 would be terrible.
this movie is gonna suck.
its really gonna suck.
October 19th, 2007 at 4:51 am
I don’t like the name ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Origins’ near each other. So I definently don’t like the title.
Wait, Van Helsing doesn’t count as a hit?:)
October 19th, 2007 at 8:17 am
screw Gambit and N’awlins, get him up North and working with ALPHA FLIGHT!!
Mac can still be refining the suit (think F4 uniform with full head mask). Heather can be running operations (Vindicator comes later). Walter doesn’t NEED to be CGI’d into Sas all his screen time. Snowbird, Shaman and even Puck don’t need to be showing off…much.
(damn, now I have another custom idea- AF: the movie!)
October 19th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
I don’t know…it just doesn’t make sense to me to create a film with these unrelated Wolvie elements when Frank Miller is so hot and you’ve got a classic mini with action, romance and lots of Logan ass-kicking.
Why not base movies on the tales that actually made the characters famous to begin with? There are almost 30 years of Wolverine history on paper and you go your own way?
The movies that come off best are the ones who remain pretty faithful to the source. Even with all this, it still sounds better than Catwoman (shudders).
October 20th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Amazing how people don’t get tired of the “I-know-it’s-gonna-suck-even-without-a-single -inch-of-film-having-been-shot” even after the first two X-Men and Spider-Man movies.
It’s not like as if they hired Brett Ratner, Mark Steven Johnson or some other cookie cutter. I for one am willing to give this movie a fair shake.
If it turns out to be good and you guys don’t bother to see it, well, it’s your loss. It’s not as if it’ll need you to make money anyway…
October 20th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
I can’t wait for this movie! It seems strange that they aren’t shooting any of it here in Canada though. I hope, when they say his early years, they are refering to his Weapon X days as a spy. And I second Brainlock’s comment: “screw Gambit and N’awlins, get him up North and working with ALPHA FLIGHT!!”
It would be cool to introduce a fledgling Dept. H.
October 21st, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Hugh Jackman was a good Wolvie-Logan in the three X-Men moives.
But in that picture he appears to be trying to hard to “BE Woverine” instead of “BEING” a worn out bruiser who, regardless of a healing factor, comes back from life times of taking a beating. Too much hiding the upper lip -should be out like he’s pissed off while disgusted at having to take it all the time.
Get rid of the strands/locks in front of his forehead -more of the Wolvie side ‘horns’ not so extream, but can be done well.
Prestige was good, but Logan is no refined articulate entertainer.
Dont know about why Gambit would be in an Origins besides needing to intoduce the character instead of waiting ten years for another X-Men movie, to stir interest in another character-based asset.
You can really see, like in the second X movie, the dance ifluence of Hugh when he plays Logan -like the scene when Stryker’s men where pummelled by Logan’s claws, Rouge and Bobby just saved by him and lights hitting his back from the main entrance of the school, he’s crouched down and an almost coming of Hugh’s “JAZZ-HANDS!!!”
:0)
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:46 pm
How old is Gambit going to be if he is even in this then?
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