The long journey for a “Wolverine” sequel just got a little longer. After “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” turned out to be a box office hit, but critical misfire, 20th Century Fox and producer/star Hugh Jackman have endeavored to bring on a better filmmaker and script for the second go around.
At first Darren Aronofsky jumped on board for what was expected to be titled “The Wolverine.” Unfortunately, the “Black Swan” helmer had to bow out due to personal issues. That put the expected 2012 release off track. Another Fox friendly director, James Mangold, came on aboard this past seemingly making many believe the film could still hit theaters sometime next summer. Now, almost predictably, Mangold’s arrival and Jackman’s busy fall publicity schedule for “Real Steel” has pushed the next “Wolverine” back.
According to Deadline, the “Wolverine” sequel (it’s unclear if it will still be called “The Wolverine”) is now looking at spring start. That means the earliest it could hit theaters would be Holiday 2012. Considering that Thanksgiving is booked with “Bond 23” and the final “Twilight” film, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 2” and Christmas features “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and the Brad Pitt tentpole “World War Z,” moviegoers may have to wait until the summer of 2013 for the return of Marvel’s most popular mutant.
Additionally, the report indicates that the film may not be able to shoot completely in Japan as originally planned. Instead, it may have to move to incentive-friendly Canada with some filming in the Asian nation. Even with Aronofsky’s departure, the new flick is still expected to focus on Wolverine’s years learning the samurai arts. The screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects”) is inspired by the classic 1982 Wolverine comic-book mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.