What's going on with The Wolverine?

Don’t call The Wolverine a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, no matter how much it looks like one. This is being forcefully billed as a standalone picture, most likely to distance itself from the disappointment of Gavin Hood’s 2009 prequel.

The Wolverine follows the original X-Men trilogy, the Wolverine prequel and the X-Men prequel First Class to become the sixth instalment in the series.

Based on a hugely popular limited series of early 80s comics by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, it has taken some perseverance and determination from Fox and Jackman to see the return of everybody's favourite X-Man.

With Christopher McQuarrie’s script in place and director Darren Aronofsky set to helm the film, all looked good for the return of Wolverine in 2010. Then despite signing contracts with Fox, Aronofsky suddenly jumped ship.

The directors considered to replace Aronofsky included the likes of Jose Padilha (now shooting the Robocop remake), Antoine Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen), Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) and Justin Lin (Fast and Furious 6).

However in June 2011 a new director was found. James Mangold, the director of the Oscar bothering Walk the Line and modern classic Cop Land took the reigns with Mark Bomback hired for a rewrite.

James Mangold’s film will see Wolverine get out of his depth while in the Land of the Rising Sun. He will be at his most vulnerable; being pushed to his physical and emotional limits and forced to confront samurai steel and his own immortality. 

It features Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper, a villain torn straight from the pages of the comics. A girl who likes to play with toxins, Viper is snake-like and cares little for other people.

 

Most importantly is the addition of Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day) confirmed to be playing Kenuichio Harada a.k.a. The Silver Samurai. His mutant ability to charge his weapon with energy capable of cutting through anything and his silver coloured samurai style armour will make him a formidable enemy.

Mangold has been tweeting his influences while making the film; influences that include classics such as Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, Powell and Pressburger’s Back Narcissus and Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Vertigo. 

The Wolverine opens nationwide July 26, 2013.

Here is the brand new trailer:

What do you think? Is this the Wolverine movie you've been waiting for?