Hugh Jackman’s final appearance as Wolverine is setting up to be a doozy.
As announced last week by Jackman and director James Mangold, the third standalone Wolverine film will be titled Logan. The movie will be rated R. Soon thereafter, The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez reported some story details, such as the movie taking place in the year 2024. The character is beginning to show his age due to a diminishing of his mutant powers. He doesn’t heal as quickly as he once did. Fewer mutants are being born, and those who exist are being corraled by the government to be turned into lethal operatives.
On Monday, the production revealed that the movie’s main villain is someone named Pierce. This will likely be Donald Pierce. In Marvel Comics, Pierce is a cyborg with a small group of fellow half-human/half-robots named The Reavers. The Reavers team up with cybernetically-enhanced Hellfire Club members in an attempt to take down the X-Men and other mutants. The Hellfire Club is already part of the X-Men universe, having been introduced in X-Men First Class with the characters Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost and Azazel. Pierce will be played by Boyd Holbrook (Narcos).
Shortly after last week’s announcement, Mangold also released an image of Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier, who’s clearly seen better days.
A photo posted by @wponx on
A look at an ominous motel was also revealed. Perhaps this is where Wolverine and fellow mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant) are looking after Professor X, with most mutants now in hiding?
With a newly minted R-rating, where would be the fun without a little gore? Here’s a decapitated arm with a shotgun. Take that, Deadpool.
A photo posted by @wponx on
Finally, here’s a barbed-wire fence, with a warning prohibiting people from entering or loitering. This could be the facility where the government is experimenting on and training young mutants.
With the new teases, Logan looks to be a wild last ride for Wolverine. The film appears to be borrowing some story elements from the “Old Man Logan” and “Death of Wolverine” arcs, and perhaps some background from “X-23: Innocence Lost.” X-23 is a young, female, Wolverine-like mutant who’s the next stage of the Weapon X program. That’s almost certainly her hand holding Logan’s in the just-released promotional poster.
But no matter which comic book storyline Logan draws inspiration from, it’s going to be a dark, violent closing chapter for the iconic character.
[The Wrap]
