This the age of the remake, reboot, and re-imagining, and if there was ever a franchise in more dire need of scrapping and starting over, it has to be WOLVERINE. After Matthew Vaughn’s X-MEN: FIRST CLASS helped us forget the horrors of X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, surely it’s time 2oth Century Fox wiped the slate clean completely on the uneven original X-MEN films?
Having already changed directors from Darren Aronofsky to James Mangold (never a promising sign), and having unresolved stop-start production dates, it seems that there are inherent issues with THE WOLVERINE (that’s WOLVERINE 2 if you’re asking). But at least star Hugh Jackman remains positive and, as seen in a recent interview with MTV, he’s keen to get his adamantium claws into a more adult film.
When asked if THE WOLVERINE would take a darker tone to the abysmal X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, Jackman voiced his approval. ‘There’s such great temptation to make an R-rated Wolverine’ Jackman said, ‘I’ve always felt that, and I know a lot of fans would like that. If there’s ever going to be a superhero that is going to be R-rated, it’s going to be Wolverine.’
Be that as it may, THN suspects Fox might take another stance considering the box-office receipts they’d lose if they were to limit the audience to adults only. Jackman did acknowledge that the younger fans are a crucial part of the character’s longevity. ‘You see it in their eyes,’ Jackman said, ‘he’s everything to them. You need to have a really good reason to exclude those fans.’
But Jackman may have a solution to the problem: ‘There is even talk about us doing two versions, as in finding a way to do both while you shoot it, which could be really cool.’ But let’s be honest, that’s about as likely as a Brett Ratner cameo.
Aside from these dubious claims, the star remained tight-lipped about plot details, refusing to reveal any possible superhero appearances or even the timeline of the movie. However, he did confirm that the film will be set across a number of locations. ‘Not all of it takes place in Japan. That’s my other little tip for you… ‘
Tom Fordy is a writer and journalist. Originally from Bristol, he now lives in London. He is a former editor of The Hollywood News and Loaded magazine. He also contributes regularly to The Telegraph, Esquire Weekly and numerous others. Follow him @thetomfordy.