When Fox took over Hall H at Comic-Con, it brought with it a boatload of X-Men-related content, including a trailer for next year’s X-Men: Apocalypse, the cast and crew of that film and, of course, Hugh Jackman, who has played popular mutant Wolverine across seven films (it will be nine when he finally removes the adamantium claws after Wolverine 3).
On stage, the actor talked about the long journey of playing Logan across the X-Men franchise, accruing a global fanbase and becoming the uncontested face of the series. He also teased the third solo Wolverine movie (after the best-forgotten X-Men Origins: Wolverine and much-better The Wolverine), which will be directed by James Mangold.
Plot details have been scarce about the pic, which will act as a swan song for the beloved character. Jackman came into Comic-Con knowing that fans were hopeful for scoopage about the movie, and he gave it to them, saying:
“I’ve got three words for you guys: Old Man Logan. As I promised, this next time is my last time putting on the claws, it’s one last time.”
Those three little words understandably got the crowd riled up. After all, Old Man Logan is a fairly well-loved comic-book arc by Mark Millar and artist Steve McIven that many have been hoping to see adapted for some time. In it, Logan has survived the extinction of the X-Men and is living out his final days with a loving family in a landscape ruled over by territorial supervillains. Though he has renounced the Wolverine, Logan is forced to once again extend his claws when something horrific happens (no spoilers), leading him down a dark road in an unfamiliar world.
Of course, it would be almost impossible to directly bring Old Man Logan to the big screen given how little it lines up with the current X-Men universe (unless X-Men: Apocalypse alters timelines dramatically, which it very well may). But it’s great to hear from Jackman that they’re keeping the storyline in mind as they hash out the plot for this pic.
The Wolverine 3 will arrive on March 3, 2017.