It's been a long road, but as was much suspected and hinted at, Hugh Jackman has finally confirmed outright that the third solo Wolverine movie will be his final outing as the adamantium-clawed mutant.
"This will be my last one,†he told Australian talkshow host Dr. Oz. “It just felt like it was the right time to do it. And let’s be honest, 17 years! I never thought in a million years it would last, so I’m so grateful to the fans for the opportunity of playing it. I kind of have in my head what we’re going to do in this last one. It just feels like this is the perfect way to go out."
Jackman had previously posted an Instagram post with the caption "one last time". That was something of a clue too.
Nothing is yet known about the new Wolverine’s plot, though director James Mangold and Jackman have been swapping ideas and Michael Green has been converting them to screenplay form.
All involved will want to make sure this is a solid swansong for the actor’s unprecedented stint as James "Logan" Howlett. He made his debut in 2000 in X-Men, and continued through X2, The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, First Class (in a striking cameo), The Wolverine, and Days Of Future Past. It's currently unclear (possibly being kept top secret) if he's part of the currently shooting X-Men: Apocalypse, which is out on May 19, 2016. The as-yet-untitled third solo Wolverine currently has a release date of March 2, 2017.
The question this raises, of course, is how the X-universe will fare without Jackman. Will Logan be put out to grass or re-cast as quickly as possible. The fanboy campaigns for a shorter and hairier replacement begin now...
Empire
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