X-Men Origins: Wolverine

[Brian in Mesa]

David Benioff Writing Wolverine Spinoff
Source: Variety
October 5, 2004

20th Century Fox has hired Troy screenwriter David Benioff to write Wolverine, a spinoff focusing on the character from the studio's "X-Men" films and Marvel comics. Variety reports that Benioff will write with the expectation that a deal will be made for Hugh Jackman to reprise his role as the superhero.

The trade adds that the film will likely be produced by the "X-Men" duo of Lauren Shuler Donner and Marvel Studios' Avi Arad, though those talks haven't been completed.

Benioff seems an unusual choice for the project, but he is a fan of the comic book. Fox will press forward with Wolverine development while simultaneously preparing X-Men 3, which will be written by Simon Kinberg.

 

[Djaughe]

Wouldn't surprise me if they do a transiton story from maybe some type of wolverine cliff hanger in x-man 3 to his own movie.

 

[Pariah]

Any Wolverine movie would surely delve deeper into his Weapon-X origins. That would be a logical starting point. The subsequent Wolverine movies may go into his time spent in Japan or follow the original Frank Miller Wolverine mini-series or even the "Origin" mini-series that explores his childhood.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Hugh Jackman to Produce X3 & Wolverine
Source: Variety
January 10, 2005

Hugh Jackman has formed a company with John Palermo...whom he met when the latter was Bryan Singer's assistant on "X-Men."

Jackman and Palermo will cut their teeth as producers by getting involved in the third installment of "X-Men," as well as a "Wolverine" spinoff feature "Troy" scribe David Benioff is penning at Fox.

He (Jackman) is expected to return as Logan/Wolverine in both films as well.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Jackman's Seed Producing Wolverine
Source: Variety
June 10, 2005

Seed Productions, the newly named producing venture headed by Hugh Jackman and John Palermo, has made a first-look deal at 20th Century Fox, reports Variety. It calls for Seed to steer a David Benioff-scripted spinoff film that Jackman will topline after X-Men 3 wraps.

Jackman and Palermo will produce Wolverine with Lauren Shuler Donner and Marvel's Avi Arad.

While Jackman hasn't produced a film yet, he has participated in the behind-the-scenes on "X3." He got a taste of crisis management when helmer Matthew Vaughn abruptly departed and Brett Ratner was hired to replace him.

"It got to be a roller-coaster ride there, but I wasn't worried because the script is so strong," Jackman said. "Matthew had his reasons but helped make the movie better before he left. Brett has come in with a lot of enthusiasm and full understanding of the franchise. It has been a real learning curve, as has been putting together the script on 'Wolverine.' That project is a good start for me as producer, because I have intimate knowledge of the character."

Palermo, who's an executive producer on "X3," said Benioff will turn in his first draft shortly.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Hugh Jackman recently alluded (in EW) that the Wolverine spin off film may be a prequel.

Fox Film Group President Tom Rothman basically validated it in an interview.

 

[Redrage]

I've been waiting for this and it only makes sense that they would go this route.

I guess the logical villian choice would be Sabre Tooth.

My former comic geek wetdream though would be to bring in the badest badguy of them all!

















Omega Red!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Hugh Jackman on the Wolverine Prequel
Source: Edward Douglas
May 12, 2006

Hugh Jackman has been working very hard in the last year or two, and the fruit of those labors will see the light in the next few months as he appears in three or four new movies. The first of these, of course, will be the third (and presumably final) chapter in the story of the Marvel mutants, X-Men: The Last Stand.

With the movie two weeks away from release, Jackman is already hard at work helping to develop the Wolverine prequel, currently being written by David Benioff (Troy). While doing an interview to talk about X-Men: The Last Stand, Jackman told ComingSoon.net that he had been reading a lot of Logan's back story in the comics in preparation for the prequel, as well as updating on its progress.

"We have two drafts and David is going to do another draft, and then we'll find our director," he said. "I'm not going to make a decision until I have the script right, but I'll definitely look at Brett [Ratner]. I don't want Wolverine to appear to be 'X-Men 4' in disguise; I don't want to make it stylistically the same. I want to do something different. That's my idea. Until we have the script, I don't really know who's right, but there's been a lot of interest from a lot of really amazing directors, so I'm really excited."

 

[thirty-two]

Hugh Jackman Says Script Is Ready For Wolverine's 'X-Men' Spinoff


PASADENA, California — The life of James "Logan" Howlett, more commonly known to fans, friends and foes alike as "Wolverine," has always been something of a mystery -- especially to the man himself.

Earlier this year, after hundreds of comic books and three blockbuster X-Men movies, the snarling mutant with the adamantium claws and oversize heart seemed to have made his "Last Stand." But thanks to a new script that recently arrived on the doorstep of Hugh Jackman, the saga of Wolverine is only just beginning.

"We have our final script," Jackman grinned like a proud papa this week, announcing his satisfaction with the untitled Wolverine prequel that he'll begin filming in late 2007.

Little is known about the Wolverine spinoff flick, which -- like a similarly conceived Magneto prequel in development -- will tell the early story of an X-Men character while continuing to employ the fan-favorite star who brought him to life. Jackman's comments, however, would seem to suggest that controversial "Last Stand" director Brett Ratner will not be returning.

"We're now finding a director, and probably in a year or so," Jackman added. "I'm doing a movie next year with Baz Luhrmann, but after that we'll get into it."

Although Vinnie "Juggernaut" Jones has proclaimed his desire to return for the spinoff, Jackman revealed that the film -- which will expand on the origin flashbacks glimpsed in the X-Men flicks -- will cover a time before Juggernaut became Wolverine's nemesis. "It is a prequel, and it's going to be about the origins of the character. That's all that I can tell you -- you don't know how long ago that was, right? I've got to keep a few surprises for you guys."

Indeed, Logan's back story and age have always been open for debate. Originally conceived as a mutated wolverine cub, early comic appearances by the character alluded to his less-than-human genesis. Originally designed to be a young adult like many of his mutant colleagues, Wolverine's accepted appearance would later evolve into more of a world-weary 40-something hero. To further confuse things, an early-'90s "Weapon X" story line explained that Logan was a common man unwillingly reinforced with adamantium to become a killing machine; the 2001 series "Origin," however, depicted the hero as a 19th century Canadian born with mutant powers.

Regardless of Wolverine's age, however, the films have made it clear that his story is inextricably linked with that of William Stryker. "It would be great to do it," an enthusiastic Brian Cox said recently when asked if he'd like to bring back the malevolent army colonel whose involvement with the Weapon X project resulted in Wolverine's adamantium enhancements. "I enjoyed doing it. I particularly loved working with [director] Bryan Singer, and that was the great experience of doing X-Men 2."

When last we saw Stryker, an exploding dam seemed to signal the end of his story line. The Wolverine prequel, however, would most likely bring back the mutant-hating military man.

"We live in hope, and we shall see," Cox said. "I know that David Benioff has written the script. ... The only problem, the only reason I'm sort of slightly in reserve about it, is because Stryker was a lot younger. ... Wolverine doesn't age."

Cox added that he had recently seen Last Stand for the first time, and that the makeovers of two good friends had given the 60-year-old actor new hope that he could play a young Stryker. "The makeup is so good. ... I was amazed," Cox said. "I watched X-Men 3, which I hadn't seen. I watched it on the plane last night. And there's a scene when both Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen come in as their younger selves, and their makeup was astonishing, absolutely astonishing!"

With the 77-year-old McKellen planning to employ the same revolutionary CGI-and-makeup mix to play a younger Magneto in his spinoff, Cox insisted that he saw no reason why he couldn't do the same for Stryker. "I don't know what they did," he marveled. "But they looked as I remembered them from all those years ago."

For his part, Jackman said he'd love to once again go toe-to-toe with Cox. "We'd be lucky to have him," he enthused. "The guy is absolutely brilliant. We'll see, in the timeline of the character, how it works out."

http://www.mtvasia.com/News/200610/18013890.html

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I've been waiting for this and it only makes sense that they would go this route.

I guess the logical villian choice would be Sabre Tooth.

My former comic geek wetdream though would be to bring in the badest badguy of them all!


Omega Red!

Either him or Apocalypse.

 

[Pariah]

"It is a prequel, and it's going to be about the origins of the character. That's all that I can tell you -- you don't know how long ago that was, right? I've got to keep a few surprises for you guys."

Turn of the century. Logan's primary mutant ability--his healing factor--has him age at a much slower rate than a normal human. By some counts he's over 100 years old.

To further confuse things, an early-'90s "Weapon X" story line explained that Logan was a common man unwillingly reinforced with adamantium to become a killing machine; the 2001 series "Origin," however, depicted the hero as a 19th century Canadian born with mutant powers.

It doesn't further confuse things at all--he was chosen for the Weapon X program because of his mutant ability to heal, so that he could survive the grafting of the metal to his bones. Everyone else before that died during the process.

The other "innate" mutant ability is his animal-like senses.

 

[Pariah]

Wolverine Machine
Hugh Jackman gets the X-Men spinoff in gear.
by Steve Head

October 30, 2006 - Slowly but surely, Wolverine is coming together. According to star and producer Hugh Jackman, if all goes to plan, fans can look forward to seeing Wolvie in his first solo, big screen adventure in late spring of 2008.

"That's kind of what we're looking at right now," Jackman tells IGN. "A summer release would be great though. Perhaps that's possible. But some things still need to fall into place."

The first element that needs to fall into place is the screenplay. And the word from Jackman is screenwriter David Benioff "has delivered, big time. We now have the final script, the final draft, which I absolutely love. For me, it's the most superior of them all. I know the fans are going to go crazy for it."

Jackman and his producing partners inquired with a few screenwriters and considered story proposals. Inevitably, they were sold by Benihoff's knowledge of X-Men lore and enthusiasm for the Wolverine movie.

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Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men: The Last Stand[/SIZE]


"Here's a guy who's this amazing writer, probably one of the hottest writers going in town; Spielberg and everyone are after him," says Jackman. "But he was beating down our door to make this movie because he's the most passionate Wolverine fan. He's followed all of the books since he was 9-years-old. For us, it's one of those rare combinations where you have a writer who has all these Oscar-winning directors wanting to work with and he's like, 'I want to do Wolverine!'"

As Jackman was working on The Prestige and other projects, he stayed in periodic contact with Beinhoff as he wrote the script.

"With someone like David, you mostly let him do his thing and he comes back with the script," he says. "He'd deliver a draft, we'd sit down together and talk about it. And I'd let him know what I think. If I think so, I'll say 'It's fantastic.' Or, 'We may have to go in this direction.' Or, 'What about this?' He's very collaborative."

Having played Wolverine for three films, Jackman says he was able to bring his unique perspective to the script.

"For better or worse, I've played the role for three movies so it's a character that I know. I feel like I know what I want to achieve with the film, but David has been very collaborative, and I'm not shy in telling him what I think. He'll say I disagree with you or whatever. But it's been a really terrific process so far."

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[SIZE=-2]20th Century Fox[/SIZE]


What Jackman wants for Wolverine is this: "I don't want the film to appear at all like X-Men 4 in disguise. I want it to feel like a very fresh, whole new character piece. I want it to be a character movie. And by the end of the movie, I want it to be that you definitely knew who this guy was. Cool action, great characters, but ultimately that you totally know who Wolverine is. Like Mad Max and Dirty Harry. Characters I loved. He's a good guy, but he's not a nice guy. He's just the guy you want on your side. [David] really got that. He's one of the best character writers in Hollywood. He totally got it."

The next essential element is working Wolverine into Jackman's schedule. As the star and producer, he knows it will be a huge time commitment - probably three to four months of photography, some of which may take place in Australia, then considerable post-production.

"I'm shooting a movie with Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman next year in Australia, and then we plan to do Wolverine after that."

And let's not forget about a director. "That's our next goal," says Jackman. "Now we have to find a director, which we're looking for now. If I see you guys maybe in about a month, I might be able to let you know who the director is. We're close."

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Gavin Hood to Direct Wolverine
Source: Variety
July 19, 2007

20th Century Fox has set Gavin Hood to direct Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, the "X-Men" spinoff that was written by David Benioff.

The film, which begins production in November for a 2008 release, will be produced by Lauren Shuler-Donner, Jackman and his Seed Productions partner John Palermo.

Hood is the South African director whose 2005 film Tsotsi won the foreign film Oscar. His next film, the thriller Rendition with Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, opens on October 12.

Using several resources that include the Marvel Comics lore, along with the more recent Weapon X graphic novels by Frank Miller, Wolverine mixes action with an origin story about how Logan emerged from a barbaric experiment as an indestructible mutant with retractable razor-sharp claws.

After three "X-Men" films grossed over $1 billion worldwide, the studio has made Wolverine a top priority.

"I have long been a fan of Gavin's work and know he will make a masterful film with the character intensity and action beats the fans expect," said Jackman.

 

[Gaddabout]

Are the Russians invading Michigan again? I'm confused.

 

[Linderbee]

What's the capital of Texas??

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Are the Russians invading Michigan again? I'm confused.

It was the Cubans that invaded Michigan, it was occupied by the Soviets...

What's the capital of Texas??

Easy, Pinacoladaberg!

 

[Gaddabout]

It was the Cubans that invaded Michigan, it was occupied by the Soviets...

Right. It must've been the old cigar smoke screen trick.

We really do need Red Dawn II, if only to keep Patrick Swaze from doing a Dirty Dancing sequel we all know is inevitable.

 

[Heucrazy]

Right. It must've been the old cigar smoke screen trick.

We really do need Red Dawn II, if only to keep Patrick Swaze from doing a Dirty Dancing sequel we all know is inevitable.

Already been done. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338096/

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Already been done. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338096/

Here also:

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34230

 

[Ryanwb]

Already been done. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338096/

Dirty Dancing II - Somebody put Baby in a corner, this time, it's pay back

 

[Cheesebeef]

David Benihoff (25th Hour, Troy) and the director of the film Tsosi, which one the Oscar for best foreign film last year are the duo bringing us this film. That's a pretty solid pedigree if you ask me. consider me excited for this film now.

 

[Heucrazy]

This guy won't be seeing Wolverine.

You must be registered for see images

 

[dodie53]

omega red please..

or

cyber?

 

[Assface]

Snikety snikt. Omega Red would freaking rule but they'll probably go with a more generic villain.

 

[dodie53]

silver samurai?

ogun?