NOT JUST ANY WOLVERINE. THE WOLVERINE!

Treating Wolverine kinda like Bond, eh? That sounds kinda cool. Make it fun, dammit!

This is almost shaping up as something I'll see. Almost.

I think Jackman must've thrown a titanic shitfit at the way the first one turned out, and this is the result.

I think comic book properties moving towards the equivalent of "graphic novel" or "one shots" is a good step, particularly as movie universe continuities get clusterfucked by filmmaking realities.

Come on kids, get excited! This is the team that made The Fountain forchrissakes!

Aronofsky trying to distance himself from the awkward fact he's making a sequel to a spin-off prequel there. But it also kind of suggests he wants to smuggle a real movie through the system in the guise of a normal franchise movie. I haven't seen an X-Men movie since the very first one, but the fact he's getting his old artsy chums involved is promising and if he gets Clint Mansell to do the score maybe I'll give this a shot.

I've always wondered why superhero movies have never been approached this way, anyway (standalone adventures), since the source material is perfect for it. It can save SO many hassles in every facet of production to just treat them this way.

Then I talk to so many people who just can't grasp that TIH was NOT a sequel to Hulk . . . that think Chris Evans CAN'T be Cap because he's Johnny Storm . . . even people who get pissed because Keaton killed The Joker more than 20 years ago, so how can he be back again?! And then I realise people are generally really dumb and can't think outside the "it's a movie about the same thing, therefore it's a sequel" square.

OK, NOW, I'm interested.

Fix this. Watch X2. ASAP.

You know I have X-men origins Wolverine recorded on my sky HD box (UK cable) and still can't muster up the enthusiam to watch it.

This film however sounds more interesting by the day.

Elisabeth Rappe, The Wolverine? It sounds...X-Quisite! I am always up for more, Wolverine or X-Men films. I hope Darren Aronofsky hits it out of the park, as it will be the...First film of his, that I see. Wolverine in Japan is...X-Cellent. If...The Silver Samurai, Logan's would be Father In Law Lord Shingen, and several hundred Hand Ninja are the villains, so much the better. Madripoor would also be a great setting for another Wolverine film. Of course much of that, was the brilliant writing of...Peter David.

Seconded. It's much stronger than the first - more story, no bloat, and everything's deeper, bigger, and...well, better.

Man, I want to be hopeful about this - Aronofsky, Matty L and Jackman - but because it's Fox, I'm tempering that hope with Fox's track record of clusterfucking great ideas into horrible films.

They can call it I'M GONNA SNIKT YOU SUCKA for all I care, I can't believe we're getting a Wolverine film with Aronofsky, Libatique and hopefully Mansell. Only thing that I'm more excited about is whatever film Aronofsky gets greenlit when/if this film makes tons of money.

The way they seem to be handling X-Men: First Class gives me hope for The Wolverine.

Being the misapthropic bastard I am, part of me would get a kick out of Aronofsky enjoying this experience so much that he only made studio fare from now on. Just to see the faces of all those people predicting that this is totally just a cash project for him and he's slumming it and stuff.

Amen to that, brother.

Of course, I also think actual comic books should now be handled this way, too.

Elisabeth, you are a more restrained person than I, as I would have been unable to resist posting a rebel fist in the air pic of C Thomas Howell from Red Dawn in this article.

Can't wait to see Aranofsky attack a superhero movie. The way he repeated camera moves in all three of the story threads of The Fountain made me wish we could have seen his Watchmen. I loved the that movie and felt like it was all the better for losing Brad Pitt and 50ish million dollars in the process of getting made (the idea of Brad Pitt as a Spanish conquistador cracks me up to this day). I sort of hope he has to solve resource-problems as creatively in The Wolverine, and the fact that the first movie wasn't a complete smash says that he might have to be frugal. After all, we don't want him going all David Twohy on us (whose films are inversely as entertaining as the budgets are large).

Did any of that make sense? Cripes, I can't write today.

"Well I'm almost excited now."


"and if they ______ in addition to all this, maybe I'll give it a shot."


Guys, stop posturing like you're not going to see this. Even if it looked like utter ass, most of us are going to see it just based off the pedigree of those involved.

A pretty good "one for them" movie, indeed.

"THE WOLVERINE"..... I... like this title

I still think that DA tackling the movie formerly known as XMO:W2 is the worst movie news of the year, but at the very least the movie will have a better title than the previous one. I am not sure how much that ultimately can help it, but it perhaps shows that Aronofsky is dedicated to putting up a fight against FOX and trying to make this film his own

I just have to comment on one thing from the article though:

I feel compelled to point out that I take great issue with the idea that the odds are stacked in favor of the film not being horrendous

Oh, I'm not pretending I'm not going to see it. Hell, I paid money to see the first Wolverine money (though in my defense, that was mostly because the daughters wanted to see it; I would have been happy to borrow it for free from the library). I'm just expressing hope and concern based on the players.

And put me down for loving the idea of treating comic movies like graphic novels - as well as preferring graphic novels to the ongoing, soap opera-ish storylines of the actual comics.

Princess Kate, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an...X-Cellent film. I am glad that Aronofsky is directing...The Wolverine. At least then he will have one...Great Film, in his filmography.

You really need to stop.

If they called it that, I'd become the movie's biggest cheerleader.

Most of us would see it if it was a Uwe Boll movie. The fact that it's a good director and a good lead actor just makes it okay to see it.

Wouldn't be surprised if ALL involved (studio, producers, Jackman, Aronofsky) were desperate to distance this film from Origins. They don't want you to make any sort of link back to that first disaster (hopefully that doesn't mean that Schreiber won't eventually return as Victor Creed in this or a future installment).

However, if this one is successful financially, I fully expect them to go the "Dark Knight Rises" route and try to convince us that the next film is more of the same by mimicking the name, bringing back the same director with more creative freedom, and copying the tone of the upcoming film.

D.T., I need to, Stop? I only stop in the...name of love. I am...X-Cited to see another, Wolverine film, not by the choice of director.

What about Hammer Time?

The notion that Aronofsky needs to direct a Wolverine film because then he'll have directed a decent film is incredibly silly.

Hindsight is 20/20. They should done this with the first movie. Solo Wolverine movie, pick a story and run with it inside a single film. Maybe there are some connective tissues between each entry, but no need for a trilogy mindset.

I'm happy that things are changing over at Fox.

D.T., Not silly at all. To Me, Darren Aronofsky, has not directed...any good films. The Wolverine, could be a...Classic.

I think some of Aronofsky's oeuvre is overrated, but THE WRESTLER might be my favorite film of the last five years. Amazingly, it seems like Fox is doing everything right with this one.

What hassles? Is it really that hard to have some continuity in two or three flicks and have actors play a role more than once?

I always wonder what's so difficult about it. Did Katie Holmes actually want to do only one Batman movie when it was always SURE her character would be needed again? Did she demand too much money? If so, why didn't they offer her a three flick contract with a pre-determined salary raise X if the movie makes Y or more?

And seriously, if there are as many villains as in the X-Men universe, did we really have to have an already known character back in a completely different form?

Great examples are the Texas Chainsaw and Halloween remakes. If you plan on doing a new franchise, why the fuck mutilate or point blank shoot your icon in the head? It's them stupidly writing themselves in corners they only can get out of by doing prequels and shit like that. How about preparing a proper ending that can be continued? That doesn't mean that every possible franchise flick should end on a cliffhanger, but if a sequel is obvious, don't close doors you don't get open again.

I like the idea of one-shots, but if some constellation works really well, why no continue on that? I would have preferred another Iron Man one-shot over the boredom that was IIron Man, but who wouldn't have tried to do something else with that great Tony?

I think a better title would be "Wolverine, The."

Sometimes, apparently.

History answers your questions with a resounding YES. Contract negotiations breakdown. Relationships sour. Studios mess with a good thing. Actors bite the hand thats feeding them.

Frankly, I think Nolan's Batman films are a great blueprint/template for this, as are the first two X-Men films. Both pairs of film have "continuity", in that you have the same actors, locations, etc. And that, at least in the background, what happened in the first film "matters" or is known by everyone in the second. But the second film is wholly or nearly wholly independent of the first for plot, villains, conflict and theme.

Some characters - like Wolverine and Batman - lend themselves far better to a continuing series of "one offs" much better than others. When you're dealing with a set of main characters, creating connective tissue and multifilm arcs seems more organic and even helpful.

This is coming together very, very nicely. If this one delivers the goods (and it should...the miniseries is excellent), then we'll hopefully get further adventures of Wolverine in the Orient. Now, they just need to get Yukio right.

I agree. I love Yukio. She got a little corny in there (I live XTREME OMG AWESOME WHEEE BADASS) but when she's written well, she's tragic and hard. It's one of the most realistic love affairs Wolverine has -- the chick who uses him gleefully for rough sex, and privately cries when he always goes back to the good girl. Yukio is always there for him, and she can take care of herself, so their endless dance works perfectly.

I'm sure the feminist blogs would rip Movie Yukio over the coals, but she's a much cooler and independent character than Mariko. I love the Claremont/Miller story, but it screamed 80s Asian fetish all the way. Mariko pushed it into some pretty sketchy territory, Yukio actually saves it for me.

I suppose there's something to be said about the comic's issues (ha ha) with Asia(ns) that the ultimate samurai is an immortal white dude from the Victorian era while the Silver Samurai is a thug and gangster?

It's possible he was just waiting for the check to clear, but I seem to remember Jackman being enthusiastically positive about the last Wolverine movie.

Maybe it is just not possible to trust anything an actor says about the project they are currently promoting. ...and I'm probably stating the obvious.

Wasn't he a producer for the film as well? He was hardly going to trash the thing as a consequence.

If anything, his true critical response to Origins is being displayed in him gathering together a completely new creative team and going in an entirely different direction for this new film.

Considering how abysmal the first Wolverine movie was, I have no problem letting Aranofsky doing this movie like an one-shot and pretend the first one doesn't exist. Besides, X-Men Origin: Wolverine's story on the young mutants of the X-Men will be nullified by First Class, anyway, so it is best to start treating Wolverine as if the X-Men movies belong in a different universe.

This is actually dead on from what I know. I've heard from a few sources now that he was pretty embarrassed and angry about the finished product.
Part of me thinks "Ugh, but you made me spend $10!" But he WAS a producer on it, and he did the classy thing by smiling and selling it.

Having gotten the "this movie is awesome!" sell from Jackman in person (not for Wolverine, for something else) it's hard to condemn him at all. He's utterly sincere and guileless, he's just kind of old-school about the game. He has this whole "People worked hard on it, and I love them all!" and you go "Right on."

Talking to Josh Brolin on the other hand...now THERE I felt betrayed.

Jackman is seemingly one of the nicest, most professional guys working in modern Hollywood as far as I can tell - right up there with Johnny Depp. One of those actors I'd love to have dinner and a drink with.

Yeah, one of the reasons that I root for Jackman is that he really comes across as being a genuinely nice guy who just wants to do good work. He's not some Hollywood diva/tabloid fixture, he just works hard on his projects, & when it's done he goes home to his family until the next one starts. I like that.

I haven't seen a movie that had Wolverine in it since X2, but I'm totally down to see Jackman work with Aronofsky again. I still think that Jackman's work in THE FOUNTAIN is one of the best performances I've seen from an actor in, well, pretty much ever.

I want to say you can pick up some of Jackman's feeling on the movie from what he's said about the video game, but I can't find the links on it.

That said, I'm fairly sure that in some (many?) cases, people associated with movies in certain roles are contractually obligated not to trash it. Didn't Laura Fraser get sued for it before?

I think it's a testament to how much Jackman fucking owns this role that they're rebooting around him rather than rebooting over him. Let's hope they can recapture some of that X-MEN 1/2 mojo. (I actually have more faith in this than I do in FIRST CLASS at this point.)

That was my thought reading Dog's post. That or actor blacklist for such actions.
This movie seems on the right path. Besides the Frank Miller's stuff what else should I read?

"Weapon X" by Barry Windsor-Smith is one of my favorites. It's been sort of retconned in weird ways, and was mangled in the movie, but it remains my preferred Weapon X version.

I don't think you can go wrong with Essential Wolverine Vol. 1. It's dated, but fun. Just Wolverine kicking around Madripoor, doing his thing, and often meeting racial stereotypes. It's printed cheap and ugly but if you really get into them, you could go hunt single issues down. Early Wolverine issues are surprisingly affordable. I will probably kick myself for not buying more of them.

The Essential collections are good for any character, especially one as massively retconned as Wolverine has been. The horror of the '90s, Team X, and Jubilee is something to especially cherish.

I should have known the movie was in trouble when they did Team X. Ugh.

Elisabeth Rappe, The Horror of the 90's was when Chris Claremont left. What horror do you mean? What is the matter with...Jubilee? Did you dislike...X-Men The Animated Series, because of her? I think the Essential books are quite...X-Ceptional. I love the...political incorrectness of the earlier comics. I cannot wait to find out more of...The Wolverine!

I think what we're all forgetting to reflect upon is how somewhere Dougray Scott is weeping softly to himself.