Hugh Jackman’s second solo outing as the adamantium-clawed Logan may not have set the box-office alight domestically, with The Wolverine earning just $132.1 million during its North American run – the lowest of any X-Men movie to date. However, the James Mangold-directed solo sequel has enjoyed healthy returns internationally and, having opened strongly in China two weeks back, the film has surpassed the $407.7 million worldwide haul of Bryan Singer’s X2: X-Men United this past weekend to become the second-highest grossing instalment in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise behind 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
The Wolverine is based upon Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s acclaimed 1981 miniseries and sees Logan heading to Japan at the behest of Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada), an old acquaintance who claims he can put an end to Logan’s immortality. Also featuring in the cast are Will Yun Lee (Total Recall) as Kenuichio Harada, Brian Tee (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) as Noburo Mori, Svetlana Khodchenkova (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Viper and newcomers newcomers Rila Fukushima as Yukio and Tao Okamoto as Mariko, while Famke Janssen also reprises the role of Jean Grey.
Given the global success of The Wolverine, Fox must certainly have high hopes for next year’s X-Men offering, when Jackman is thrown in alongside a veritable who’s who of the X-Men franchise for Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, which features an enormous ensemble including James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Lucas Till (Havok), Halle Berry (Storm), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman), Daniel Cudmore (Colossus), Evan Peters (Quicksilver), Booboo Stewart (Warpath), Omar Sy (Bishop), Fan Bingbing (Blink), Adam Canto (Sunspot), Josh Helman (William Stryker) and Peter Dinklage (Bolivar Trask). Be sure to check back here tomorrow for the very first trailer…
