Actor Hugh Jackman has come quite a long way since 2000. Sure, director Gavin Hood’s 2009 Marvel iteration, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, still remains a let down that lives on so as not to be forgotten in lieu of watching their beloved comic book staples hit the big screen. Nevertheless, a sea change was brought this month with the blockbuster success of R-rated Marvel adaption, Deadpool, thus leaving room for more properties to get the same treatment.
Those expectations can finally be attributed to the forthcoming production of Jackman’s final stint in The Wolverine 3, according to Comicbook.com. The article shows an imgur post of a pamplet from this months events at Toy Fair 2016 in New York City where 20th Century Fox made their latest presentation. Take a look below with the graphic on the right listing The Wolverine helmer James Mangold, Jackman and the “R” attribution.
Excluding China, Deadpool currently stands with a worldwide gross of $282 million for its opening weekend with $150 million of it stemming domestically, a considerable milestone for lead actor Ryan Reynolds and much of the team behind the film lead the way for a robust campaign for the film’s R-rating. It was also the result of major fan fervor for a number of years responding to the endless string of PG-13 properties given the graphic nature of the title character in question, and the possibility of a franchise watered-down by Hollywood red-tape.
With Deadpool now advancing a sequel and setting a new precedent not seen for a Marvel property since Stephen Norrington’s Blade, Jackman may finally let out the berzerker rage fans have been waiting for. That said, one other Marvel helmer of a major tentpole franchise made an interesting point this week about understanding and recognizing what was achieved with Deadpool, and the overall importance behind taking as many risks as a film like Miller’s did.
Hopefully that point sets in for Fox and Mangold this year when cameras start rolling. The Wolverine was good in 2013, but Jackman’s a damn good actor, both physically and emotively and this could be his best performance yet as “Old Man Logan” before exiting. Let’s make this one count!