With principal photography for The Wolverine 3 looming, more casting news and rumors regarding the film are starting to flood the internet. The latest tidbit, which emerged this week, should excite many diehard X-Men fans, as it suggests that a character never before seen on the silver screen will be joining Hugh Jackman for Logan’s swan song.
As with any rumor we should take it with a grain of salt, but I can say that I’ve been visiting Super Hero Hype for 11 years and have found them to be a very reliable website. Their report says they’ve learned that none other than X-23 will be joining the cast of the next installment of Fox’s blockbuster X-Men franchise. Beyond that, no other details have been given.
The character of X-23 debuted in the popular animated series X-Men: Evolution as the clone daughter of Wolverine. The first 22 attempts failed, hence the moniker “X-23.” She happens to have similar abilities to her father – superior healing factor, strength, reflexes, etc.- and later adopted the name Laura Kinney. She eventually made her way into comic book continuity in 2004 and later appeared in another wonderful animated series, Wolverine and the X-Men, which is a personal favorite.
Seeing as how the upcoming movie is said to take major inspiration for the comic book arc Old Man Logan, in addition to mostly likely being Jackman’s last outing as the character, this makes for an interesting possibility. While Fox may not necessarily go in this direction, readers who are up to date on comic book happenings know that X-23 has since become the Wolverine. Should Jackman indeed bow out, the beauty of this is that they would not have to worry about a recast and they have their next Wolverine at the ready.
It’s a similar situation to what Marvel Studios has with Captain America: if Steve Rogers dies, you have Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier or Sam Wilson/The Falcon to take his place. It is entirely faithful to the source material and the movies themselves have already set up an organic transition.
The Wolverine 3Â arrives in theaters on March 3, 2017. Tell us, would you like to see X-23 appear in the film? Sound off below and let us know!
