It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything about James Mangold and Hugh Jackman’s follow-up to 2013’s The Wolverine. The sequel was announced in November 2013, but there’s been very little news on the project since that time. Today, a new piece of information about the film was revealed by a seemingly unlikely source: Jackman’s X-Men franchise co-star, Patrick Stewart.
Last month, Stewart told Larry King that neither he nor Ian McKellan would be returning for X-Men: Apocalypse (although it’s worth nothing that an appearance by Jackman is likely). In an interview with Oregon Live to promote his new film, Match, Stewart once again confirmed that he would not be involved with X-Men: Apocalypse, but hinted that his character may show up in The Wolverine 2. Thanks to Superhero Hype for picking up this quote:
“What I’m very excited about is that we have been talking about a Wolverine movie, which would team Hugh Jackman and myself together. Wolverine and Professor Xavier. That would be a very different sort of ‘X-Men’ from the four movies that I’ve already done.”
That’s certainly not something that we would have expected, but it opens the door for a lot of interesting possibilities for the sequel. Would this truly be a team-up between Wolverine and Professor Xavier? Or would Stewart merely appear in a supporting role?
Chances are, we won’t know anything for awhile. Jackman is currently doing press for Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie, and it won’t be long before he’ll have to start promotion for Pan, which will be hitting theaters this summer. And if he’s truly involved with X-Men: Apocalypse, he’ll be finding himself in front of the camera in the next few months. With such a busy schedule, it may be a few more months before he’s ready to reveal anything about The Wolverine 2.
X-Men: Apocalyse hits theaters on May 27, 2016, with The Wolverine 2 currently scheduled for March 3, 2017.
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