‘Wolverine 3’: Plot Still in Development, But Hugh Jackman Sure to be Back as Logan, The Adamantium-Clawed, Almost Death-Proof X-Man
Wolverine 3 from 20th Century Fox will be released to theaters on March 3, 2017. David James Kelly will be writing the script. James Mangold will return to direct the third Wolverine film and Hugh Jackman will be back to reprise his signature role as the adamantium-clawed mutant. The plot for the third solo Wolverine film is still in development but Mangold previously told Screen Rant that "there are great texts about his connections to others, villains, characters from the lore and from the comics that we can bring out and have another great and meaningful adventure." Anyway, the production work on Wolverine 3 will begin only after filming wraps up for X-Men: Apocalypse, which is due to be released on May 27, 2016.
Wolverine 3 may be the last in the franchise series for this X-Man character, or at least the last in which Jackman will be able to play Wolverine. It will be the 8th time he will portray the iconic X-Man character with the adamantium claws. In a talk with SFX, the 45-year old actor was asked where he would want to take his character next in the upcoming film. Jackman replied, "I don't know yet. We're talking it through. I still am very ambitious for the character. And tonally, I feel like we corrected the ship with the last one. But I feel we can still go further, in a way. If I did another one I'm 99.9% sure it would be the last, so that will inform what it is for me....Well, of course we're looking at 'Old Man Logan,' because that may be the only option left at this point!"
The 8-issue 'Old Man Logan' story in the Marvel Comics Wolverine series takes place many decades into the future where super-villains have emerged victorious, and where an aging Logan finds most of his friends already gone.
The Wolverine, the second film in the franchise, grossed $413.6 million at the worldwide box office, with $132 million domestic and $281 million international. It also received generally positive reviews among critics, with Rotten Tomatoes' website consensus saying; "Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained."