'Wolverine 3' News, Spoilers: Last 'Wolverine' Film Is Set In The Future, Producer Confirms
"Wolverine 3" producer Simon Kinberg has said that the upcoming third stand-alone "Wolverine" film will be set in the future of the "X-Men" film franchise timeline.
While the highly anticipated third (and final) installment of the "Wolverine" film series is slated for a 2017 release, not much has been revealed about the as-yet-untitled film. For now, all fans knows is that "The Wolverine" director James Mangold is helming the movie, for which Hugh Jackman is returning as Logan/Wolverine. Joining the actor is another "X-Men" star, Patrick Stewart, who will reprise his role as the older version of Professor Charles Xavier.
Recently, Kinberg confirmed with Cinema Blend that, unlike the last few "X-Men" films, including this year's "X-Men: Apocalypse," the third "Wolverine" film will be set in the future.
"The Wolverine movie takes place in the future," Kinberg said.
The producer's statement confirms what many fans have expected since the casting of Stewart was announced.
In September 2015, Jackman spoke to Collider about how he wants the relationship between Logan and Professor X to be portrayed in the film. According to the actor: "Patrick does figure in it that's for sure. I think it's a really important relationship but I want to see signs of that quasi-father/son sort of relationship that has not been seen before, and sides of particularly Professor X that have not been seen before. So we have some really, really cool ideas."
Kinberg's confirmation also shines some light on the question of whether or not the third "Wolverine" film will be based on or be inspired by the Marvel comic book story "Old Man Logan" by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.
"Old Man Logan," an eight-issue storyline that ran from 2008 to 2009, takes place in a dystopian future where Mysterio tricks Wolverine into killing the X-Men.
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that "Narcos" actor Boyd Holbrook has been cast as the film's villain and that he will play the chief of security of a global corporation in pursuit of Wolverine.
The third "Wolverine" film will begin shooting in May and will be released in 2017.