Hugh Jackman’s tenure as James “Logan” Howlett stretches all the way back to the year 2000, when the beloved Aussie first donned those iconic claws as Wolverine. Now primed to make his eighth appearance as the enraged Mutant in James Mangold’s The Wolverine 3, it’s all but certain that Jackman will bid adieu to Logan come 2017 – but he may not be the only X-Men stalwart ready to part ways with the franchise.
Sir Patrick Stewart, who is just shy of Jackman’s impressive record with seven screen appearances in 20th Century Fox’s superhero flagship, has revealed that The Wolverine 3 is “probably the end of the franchise” for his Professor X, though admitted that anything is possible in the realm of science-fiction and, in particular, comic book movies.
[zerg]Chatting with ITV, the acting great noted that, “I would imagine this is probably the end of this franchise for me. But the thing about science fiction and fantasy is that you can never, ever say it’s the end, it’s over.”
As fans of the franchise well know, Charles Xavier has met his demise before at the hands of Jean Grey. When pressed on the matter, Stewart teased that we can expect a “very different” Charles Xavier come 2017.
“Yes, I have, I have [died in the series]. Jean Grey vaporized me, from which you would think there would be no return. But watch out! In March, I’m going to be back on the screen again. A very different Charles Xavier, that’s all I’m allowed to say. Nothing like the Charles Xavier you’ve seen in the past.”
Tethered with an R-rating, The Wolverine 3 will slice and dice its way into theaters on March 3, 2017. Joining Stewart and Jackman for Mangold’s threequel are Boyd Holbrook, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Eriq La Salle and Elise Nea.