10 Actresses Who Should Play X-23 In The Wolverine 3

It was recently revealed that The Wolverine 3 will possibly include an appearance from Laura Kinney, a character better known to comic book fans as X-23. Currently serving as Wolverine in the Marvel Comics Universe, X-23 started off as a product of the Weapon X program cloned from a damaged sample of Logan’s DNA. Since she could walk, Laura was trained to kill Wolverine. However, she instead chose to join the X-Men, becoming his daughter figure and eventually, Logan’s successor. While it currently remains a rumour, it wouldn’t be remotely surprising to see the movie – believed to be a loose adaptation of the Old Man Logan storyline – utilize a similar arc here. Not only that, but giving Wolverine a sidekick of sorts who has the potential to carry her own film down the line would work out quite well. So, with all of that in mind, who should play the character in The Wolverine 3? Fox is likely going to want to cast someone pretty young, and could go for either an established star or an up and coming actress who can make this role their own, just like Hugh Jackman did so many years ago in X-Men. Who would be the best candidates for the job though? Read on for our 10 picks and as always, let us know if you agree or not in the comments section below. 10) Bella Thorne Up and coming actress Bella Thorne recently made headlines by revealing that she would like to play the female version of Deadpool, and considering the fact that Channing Tatum landed the role of Gambit by expressing his love for the character in an interview as well, chances are that the Ratchet & Clank star is now on Fox's radar. Thorne certainly looks the part anyway, and while a character like X-23 would definitely be a departure for her compared to past roles, it's one which could take her career in a very interesting new direction. More than just a pretty face, Thorne is extremely talented and could easily do this complicated hero justice if given the chance to show off her stuff in a movie as big as Wolverine 3 - providing she can nail the ferociousness of Laura Kinney, of course. 9) Shailene Woodley Had The Amazing Spider-Man 2 not been such a complete and utter mess, Shailene Woodley would have already starred in a superhero movie (the actress was set to play Mary Jane Watson, but was cut for reasons which remain unclear). Despite finding only mixed success with Hunger Games wannabe Divergent, her role in that franchise has no doubt helped establish the breakout star of The Descendants as an action heroine, and a leading role in Wolverine 3 could be just what she needs at this stage. After all, Woodley has proven that she's capable of holding a movie as the lead, and if Fox intends to give X-23 a spinoff of her own somewhere down the line, attracting the Young Adult following that the actress has gained could be to their advantage. 8) Dakota Johnson Say what you like about Fifty Shades of Grey, but Dakota Johnson's performance was definitely the highlight of an otherwise mediocre movie. The actress has also been relatively strong in everything from Black Mass to How to be Single, and an action movie could definitely work well for her career at this point. Seeing how she would fare in that realm would be very interesting, and as trashy as that adaptation of E. L. James' novel may have been, it gave Johnson the chance to show a wide array of emotions, many of which would definitely be relevant to a character as complex as X-23. Whether or not the actress would have any interest in a movie like Wolverine 3 is hard to say, but she's talented enough to at least be considered for a role such as this. 7) Emilia Clarke Like a few of her Game of Thrones co-stars, Emilia Clarke has had mixed fortunes away from the HBO series. Terminator Genisys damaged her leading lady status, and after confirming that she has no desire to return for the next instalment in the franchise, it's easy to believe that she's probably reluctant to board a similar property. However, the last few X-Men movies have received rave reviews, so there's every chance that she could be convinced to give X-23 a try. Clarke is another actress who you can imagine looking like she's stepped right off the page when she's suited up as the character, and with Daenerys Targaryen so often forced to bottle up her rage, it would be great seeing the actress able to just let loose as she slashes her way through the film's villains. 6) Chloe Grace Moretz There are at least a handful of similarities between X-23 and Hit-Girl, and while Chloe Grace Moretz would no doubt prefer not being typecast, this could still be a great role for the Kick-Ass alum. After all, Laura Kinney is a lot more interesting and complex than the foul mouthed vigilante from the Mark Millar comic book, and now that Moretz is arguably too old to return to that role, entering another superhero franchise (especially after The 5th Wave failed to really take off) would be a smart move for her and a big win for fans. Bear in mind that we already know she can kick plenty of ass, so it's not even remotely difficult to picture her taking out bad guys in a suitably bloody fashion alongside Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine 3. 5) Brie Larson Where Oscar winning actress Brie Larson goes after her phenomenal performance in Room remains to be seen, but we do know she has a leading role in Kong: Skull Island coming up, an indication perhaps that she's not against saying yes to more blockbusters provided they're a good fit. While X-23 would certainly be something of a departure for the actress, she has the right look and more than enough acting chops to deliver a really excellent and memorable take on the character. Larson would also bring a lot of credibility to the role, something which is a must in order for moviegoers to be able to accept X-23 in her own right and not just as a Wolverine knock off or sidekick (which, in all honesty, is exactly what Laura Kinney ended up being for her first few years of existence). 4) Elle Fanning Elle Fanning has been acting for a long time, and despite being only 18 years of age, she already has a long list of very impressive performances under her belt. However, despite memorable turns in everything from Maleficent to Super 8 and Trumbo, it still doesn't feel like Fanning has had the starring role which has helped propelled many of the other actresses here onto the A-List. Playing X-23 could change that though, especially as it would lead to her having to undergo quite the transformation in order to convincingly portray the initially deranged clone of Wolverine. Should this role work out for her, Fanning could also be looking at her own spinoff or even a starring role in the X-Men franchise. It would be an unexpected, but potentially great bit of casting. 3) Cara Delevingne Cara Delevingne may currently be part of the DCEU as Enchantress in Suicide Squad, but all of the signs are pointing to her being a character who fights Task Force X rather than one that works alongside them. If that is indeed the case, she's unlikely to make more than just the one appearance in that world, hence why she should have some space in her schedule to join the Wolverine franchise. While all of the actresses listed here look the part, I would argue that it's Delevigne who most closely resembles the comic book version of X-23, and her very unique features would certainly make the beautiful model turned movie star a good fit for a character like this. Ultimately, though, the chances of her being cast really depend on how Suicide Squad plays out in August. 2) Hailee Steinfeld Hailee Steinfeld ended up on everyone radar after a terrific performance opposite Jeff Bridges in True Grit, and she's since appeared in everything from Ender's Game to Pitch Perfect 2. However, nothing the young actress has done has really received the same acclaim as her Oscar nominated performance in the aforementioned Western, and while I'm not suggesting an appearance as X-23 in Wolverine 3 would lead to awards attention, it could help put the talented Steinfeld back on the map. That aside though, and she would definitely be a good fit for this character, especially as we already know she wouldn't have any issues portraying both the toughness of Laura Kinney and handling the coming of age tale of sorts as the character looks to step out of Wolverine's shadow. 1) Alicia Vikander As you've no doubt already heard, Alicia Vikander has landed the role of Lara Croft in the planned Tomb Raider reboot. However, considering the fact that movie doesn't have a release date yet, there's nothing to say she couldn't squeeze in a role in The Wolverine 3 before she starts work on Warner Bros.' upcoming video game adaptation. The Oscar winning actress has made a lot of wise decisions since her career really took off, finding a nice balance between critically acclaimed dramas and blockbusters like the upcoming Jason Bourne. However, a character like X-23 would give Vikander the opportunity to show a very different side of herself, and she's definitely someone you can imagine being able to perfectly portray a hero as emotionally volatile and complex as this one (Ex Machina pretty much proved that).