X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1, 2009)

[hack slash]

Gavin Hood to Direct Wolverine!
Source: Variety July 19, 2007


20th Century Fox has set Gavin Hood to direct Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, the "X-Men" spinoff that was written by David Benioff.

The film, which begins production in November for a 2008 release, will be produced by Lauren Shuler-Donner, Jackman and his Seed Productions partner John Palermo.

Hood is the South African director whose 2005 film Tsotsi won the foreign film Oscar. His next film, the thriller Rendition with Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, opens on October 12.

Using several resources that include the Marvel Comics lore, along with the more recent Weapon X graphic novels by Frank Miller, Wolverine mixes action with an origin story about how Logan emerged from a barbaric experiment as an indestructible mutant with retractable razor-sharp claws.

After three "X-Men" films grossed over $1 billion worldwide, the studio has made Wolverine a top priority.

"I have long been a fan of Gavin's work and know he will make a masterful film with the character intensity and action beats the fans expect," said Jackman.

[CanadianFonzie]

Wolverine has always been my favourite of all the X-Men, which is why I've been looking forward to this movie, I was so upset when I heard the third X-Men movie would be the last, I just hope they come to their senses and make a fourth, with an ending like part three (just before and after the credits) they have to

[Undrtkerkane]

I heard there was a possiblility of making a 4th one because number 1 the money and number 2 the way the 3rd one left off, they can still do it but not sure who would be in it and who is left alive, alot of mutants were killed off. I will go see this movie if it is done well :jason:

[CanadianFonzie]

I will see this no matter what, I'm a long time Wolverine fan

[Gringo Loco]

I like Jackman's Wolverine so I will be seeing this one. I wonder if it will be released in the summer...

[The Dream Master]

I'm thinking if this goes into production in the next few months, it'll definately be out sometime next summer. X3 didn't go into production until fall of '05 and ended up coming out in May '06.

[CanadianFonzie]

Jackman IS a fantastic Wolverine, and I can't imagine anyone else playing him

[JVY2K]

This should be awesome. I was let down that nothing else was explored about Wolverine's character past 2. And X-Men 3 was a big let down for me as well. This is good news, I love Wolverine and am very much looking forward to this!

[hack slash]

NEW TITLE X-Men Origins: Wolverine!! Liev Schrieber?? and Release Date May 1 2009 and Gambit???

from Variety.com
'Wolverine' claws on May '09 date
Liev Schreiber in final talks for 'X-Men' role
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK


Twentieth Century Fox is sinking its claws into May 1, 2009, for the release of Hugh Jackman starrer "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which director Gavin Hood begins shooting later this year.
"Wolverine" is expected to feature many other mutants -- some new to the film franchise and some from one or more of the three "X-Men" films. Liev Schreiber is reportedly in final talks to take on the role of a younger version of nemesis William Stryker, played by Brian Cox in "X2."

This is the first time a title has been confirmed for the next chapter in the lucrative film franchise, based on the Marvel comic strip.

The first weekend in May, pegged as the first official weekend of summer, has become the most lucrative moviegoing weekend of the year. The date has been profitable for Marvel properties: "X2" debuted in the same frame in 2003, grossing a record-breaking $86 million, and Sony's "Spider-Man 3" grossed a record- breaking $151 million in early May this year.

As of now, the only other film staking out the May 1, 2009, date is Disney's toon "G-Force."

There's been much speculation about the spinoff, which gained speed when the studio finalized deals with Jackman (who reprises the role he played in the three "X-Men" pics), Hood and scribe David Benioff, who penned the script.

Pic explores the claw-wielding character Wolverine's violent and romantic past, and his complex relationship with Victor Creed and the ominous Weapon X program, as well as his encounters with other mutants.

Hood will start shooting in Australia before moving to New Zealand and, later, to New Orleans. Latter location is a clue that the storyline might include New Orleans-based character Gambit, who is able to make objects explode and was a professional thief before joining the X-Men.

Producing are Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, producers of the "X-Men" movies, along with Jackman and producing partner John Palermo through their shingle Seed Prods. Marvel's Kevin Feige will exec produce.

Together, the trio of "X-Men" pics have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Fox is pursuing another "X-Men" spinoff, based on the character Magneto.

Studio is looking to have a busy summer in 2009. On May 22 of that year, it releases James Cameron's 3-D live-action "Avatar," and, on July 1, "Ice Age 3."

[Cody]

I guess the title change is for spin-off franchise purposes, so in 2010 (or later in '09?) it'll probably be X-Men Origins: Magneto.

Liev Schreiber is cool.

As for (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34475) New Orleans/Gambit -

Variety hypothesizes that this means GAMBIT - but that's not the case. The New Orleans scene is basically a Mutant Only club scene with a bunch of insignificant Muties.

[hack slash]

Deadpool goes Hollywood??

WOLVERINE GETS HIS COMIC RELIEF
12.06.07
By Devin Faraci
Two pieces of Wolverine news in one day! As you may know, the script for X-Men Origins: Wolverine* got a last minute pre-strike workover. I don't know of anyone who has been able to get their hands on the latest draft, which means that we don't know what changes have been made from David Benioff's work. We do know that the film is a prequel, and that it involves Wolverine's early career with Weapon X, when he got his admantium skeleton. And we know that some familiar Weapon X names will show up, including Sabretooth, who may be played by Gerard Butler if director Gavin Hood gets his way.

Now a trusted informant has told me that another familiar character will be showing up in the movie - none other than the merc with a mouth, Deadpool. In the comics Deadpool got his start in Weapon X, so it makes sense that he'd show up here. And we've been hearing rumors that Marvel is going for more movie continuity, with a scene being shot to link Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, so why not start Deadpool off here before spinning him into his own film, which David Goyer has been talking up for ages? And how exciting is it to see a second generation spin-off in the movies? The Deadpool movie could be the Good Times to Wolverine's Maude, which spun off from X-Men's All in the Family.

Fan (and Goyer) casting has had Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool forever. Now that it looks less and less likely that Reynolds will be playing The Flash in anything anytime soon, could this be his superhero franchise?

[Deathscythe]

Blah, the X-men trilogy mostly fouced on Wolverine anyway. I still like the character so I'll watch this.

[Scarecrow]

Hope it's true about liev schreiber as well as he's a brilliant actor. Add a touch of class as Brian Cox did. ;)


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

Liev Schreiber is Sabretooth (http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=13252)

Remember the rumors that Liev Schreiber was going to play Young Stryker in X-Men Origins: Wolverine? They're not true. Oh, Liev is in the movie. It's just that he's playing... Creed. Yes, one of my favorite actors of today is playing Sabretooth.

This is the real deal, received from multiple sources, none of whom have ever led me astray. On the one hand I do have to say that Liev is not terribly Cox-ian (Brian Cox originated the role), so I was always skeptical on him as Stryker, but on the other hand Creed has never been one of the more electrifying characters in comics. Beyond his ability to have fights with Wolverine wherein they would disembowel each other on the regular, that is (due to Creed also having a healing factor). But when you have a real director on the movie like Gavin Hood, and he casts a real actor like Liev Schreiber in the role... well, how can you not be at least intrigued?

So who is playing Stryker? Nobody is set yet, but the producers are darkly dreaming Dexter, if you get what I mean. Meanwhile the rest of the cast is still in formation, which means that the producers are hunting folks down - one of the names that's on the top of their list is Michelle Monaghan for Silver Fox. I've heard a lot of names attached to this one over the weeks - and reported some of them - and I know that there's another high powered actress that's on the list as well, so nothing is set in stone. But as I always say, the casting wish lists tell you a lot about what the filmmakers are striving for, and a Wolverine movie featuring Michael C Hall, Liev Schreiber and Michelle Monaghan is a damn well cast Wolverine movie.

[CanadianFonzie]

oh so this movie is going to be his origin?...shit I was hoping for it to take place after X3

[Chex]

That wasn't who I was expecting Liev to play. It could be interesting, I suppose. I just don't see him having the build for Sabertooth though, but then again, who says they're following the comics exactly.

[NW77]

I don't like the idea of Liev as Sabretooth. For one thing: he isn't taller than Hugh. I felt Tyler Mane was great with his height & built. Not to mention he is a real blondie that suit Sabretooth to a T. Why couldn't they get him back? I'm sure he wanted to return. :(

[Ron]

my brother has the X-Men boxset and I watched them all in one day. i loved them so I can't wait for this to come out.

[Spade]

Strange choice for Sabretooth. It should be interesting.

[Darth Sinister]

Yeah, I thought Tyler Mane was all locked in so that the gap between this and X-Men would be almost seamless.

[FinalBeyond]

I'm not an X-Men fan, but I would see this as soon as it came out if it actually includes Deadpool.

[Cody]

Liev as Creed is interesting... I want to see it.

[The Dream Master]

I actually thought Liev Schreiber as Stryker was a good choice, but he feels wrong for Sabretooth. Still, I'm interested.

[Scarecrow]

Certainly different! Shame we don't have Mane back in the role, he was brilliant. But Schreiber is a brilliant actor and CAN be pretty scary and intimidating, see Sum of All Fears. I'll be optomistic but cautious on this.


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

Schreiber is intimidating even when he's not trying to be. I couldn't get behind him in The Omen for that reason.

I'm indifferent to Mane in the first film because I'm pretty much indifferent to the first film on the whole, so the casting of Schreiber is a good thing for me, because I'm a fan of his work.

[Cody]

JoBlo (http://joblo.com/excl-more-wolvie-cast) on Stryker

When it was first announced that Liev Schrieber had signed on to star in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, it was reported that Schrieber would be playing Stryker. Later we learned that Schrieber would in fact be starring as Sabretooth (awesome casting BTW) leaving a vacancy in the role of Young William Stryker that has yet to be filled. The go-to rumor was Michael C. Hall of "Dexter" fame but now we've got the exclusive scoop on who may actually be starring as Stryker. A source close to the production tells us that actor Danny Huston (30 DAYS OF NIGHT) has signed on to star as William Stryker in WOLVERINE and is already on location in New Zealand prepping for his part. Odd since I had heard that Hall also was in New Zealand but that could've just been rumors.

IESB (http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4324&Itemid=99) on Silver Fox

For the last few months, there has been talk of a few different actresses in the mix for Wolverine's love interest Silver Fox. Both Maggie Q and Michelle Monaghan were considered, but both lost out to another femme fatale.

Lynn Collins (Number 23, Bug) has beat both beauties for the highly coveted role of Kayla Silverfox A.K.A. Silver Fox. We have been able to confirm the casting news with our sources at the studio.

Film School Rejects (http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/exclusive-wolverine-will-encounter-the-blob.php) on The Blob

Today, I received an email from a very reliable source inside the production that confirmed that not only will The Blob appear in the movie, but that test footage has already been shot with an actor in a rubber suit. As our source explains, the suit makes him look like he is 800 lbs., but the producers of the film wanted to make him even bigger, something like 1200 lbs. The key thing to note here is not only that The Blob will appear in the movie, but that it will be an actor in a suit rather than CGI. Of course the fact that this is test footage being shot means it isn’t final, but this confirms that some Blob-ness will be in the movie in some form or another.

[Cody]

Special Appearance (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35658)

Sounds to me like Marvel is going to pack this one with all sorts of geeky Easter eggs if all of these rumors are true. The Blob would be a lot of fun to see in one of these, and there’s another cameo, one that we can officially confirm now, that sounds to me like a set-up for a possible spin-off.

Anyone up for a little DEADPOOL?

How about if Ryan Reynolds is playing him?

This one’s supposed to be a secret, but cat’s out of the bag now, Marvel. And I have to say... I think it sounds like fun. I know this has been a character you guys have been developing for years now (hell, I think I pitched a DEADPOOL film back in 2001), and Reynolds is absolutely the right guy for the job.

[Spade]

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool = awesome. I hope Deadpool does get his own movie.

[Rick]

Yah, that's not the first time Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds have been mentioned. After Blade Trinity everyone was all hyped on the idea but then The Flash was a real possibility and Reynolds was apparently the front-runner for the lead in that.
During the time they were talking The Flash Reynold's even says he'd been asked about Deadpool but said he's already played a "Merc with a Mouth" in Blade 3, he sounded like he was much more into the idea of The Flash then Deadpool.

[Cody]

And another (http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=6813)

Scooper 'Chaos Bringer' has revealed on Superhero Hype!'s message boards that "Friday Night Lights" star Taylor Kitsch will play Gambit (AKA Remy LeBeau) in director Gavin Hood's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Kitsch has signed a three-picture deal.

[Natman]

G-G-G-Gambit?!?

Today will be a good day.

[Spade]

Deadpool and Gambit... I'm so there.

[Natman]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[The Taff]

DEADPOOL!?

ARE YOU YANKING ME!? PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT YANKING ME!

WOO! WADE!

[Rick]

Is Reynolds actually going to do this? That post sounded more like it was just the reporter saying "wow, wouldn't it be cool if ..." rather then actually confirming anything.

[The Dream Master]

That's how I saw that report, Rick. For some reason, Reynolds has been attached to the Dead Pool character for some time now, but there's no indication that he's playing him in Wolverine.

[Cody]

Moriarty is saying that Reynolds will be Deadpool.

He's since changed the wording to

Anyone up for a little DEADPOOL? CHUD.COM reported at the start of December that the character would show up in the film.

Well, today we can exclusively ask you... how about if Ryan Reynolds is playing him?

This one’s supposed to be a secret, but cat’s out of the bag now, Marvel.

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, that wording makes it a lot more clear that Reynolds is in fact playing Deadpool.

I think it's a fantastic casting choice, too.

[Cody]

Now in Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981136.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)

Twentieth Century Fox has added three more superheroes to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," with Ryan Reynolds set to play Deadpool, "Friday Night Lights" regular Taylor Kitsch to star as Gambit and hip-hop artist will.i.am joining the cast as John Wraith.

Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston and Lynn Collins round out the cast as Victor Creed/Sabretooth, Col. William Stryker and Kayla Silver Fox, respectively.

Hugh Jackman reprises the role of Wolverine in the "X-Men" spinoff that Gavin Hood is lensing in New Zealand, Australia and New Orleans. Pic bows May 1, 2009.

David Benioff penned the script, which would reveal the origins of the Wolverine character and introduce other mutants not yet seen in the "X-Men" franchise.

Marvel has been eyeing the possibility of casting Reynolds as Deadpool, an assassin with self-healing powers, for some time with the idea of spinning off the character into his own film series should the character prove popular among moviegoers.

Fox and Marvel have also long wanted to add the card-throwing character of Gambit to the "X-Men" franchise but could never find a way to give him enough screen time among the many other mutants that have appeared in each film.

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am will play Wraith, a mutant who has the power to teleport, and is another test subject of the Weapon X program that created Wolverine and other mercenaries. It would be his first film role.

Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter are producing with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner John Palermo. Marvel's Kevin Feige exec produces.

[Nick Michalak]

They better not be fucking around this time about Gambit. Singer teased us with every film about doing Gambit, but ultimately, cut him out every damn time. One of the million reasons why I hate Bryan Singer. Even a cameo would've been satisfying - dark hair, slender build, brown trench coat, a pack of playing cards. Fuck, if I gave one of my characters a Cajun accent, I would've had Gambit in my indie thriller. Anyway, it had best be for real, and it had best be done right. We've already had Singer botch up too many characters in this franchise. Glad he's not involved, hope it shows.

Now, where's Alpha Flight?

-NJM

[The Dream Master]

I'm just interested in seeing how they're going to incorporate Gambit into Wolverine's past. Unless I'm forgetting something, their pasts weren't particularly intertwined in the comics.

[Rick]

I didn't think Deadpool and Wolverine's pasts were either, although i haven't read any wolverine comics for years.
I thought Deadpool was a part of the Weapon X program but decades after Wolverine.
Perhaps the film will have a lot of flashbacks but will take place in the present and Deadpool will be their new star pupil.

[NW77]

Gambit in Wolverine? I don't like that idea, since Wolverine is a prequel. I prefer Gambit show up in the X-Men films. I wouldn't blame Singer for not using him in the X-Men films, since he wanted to. David Hayter (who wrote the first X-Men film) hate Gambit & make excuse that he is a ripoff of Wolverine. And Singer wanted to focus on Nightcrawler with X2, so you can see why Gambit wasn't in part 2. It unfair Singer get flack for not using Gambit when he wanted to. If he did X3, maybe Gambit would be in it.

And it good as least Reynolds will get to be Deadpool in this film. I imagine Deadpool might been a product of Weapon X few years after Wolverine. :cool:

[Just Jeans]

I thought Ryan wasn't interested in playing the Deadpool character because of the make-up process, or some such thing? And according to the Hollywood Reporter, this is just a cameo, so I suppose they're setting him up for his own film.

[Cody]

Monaghan is Beak in Wolverine (http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=6830)

Just Jared reports that former "Lost" star Dominic Monaghan will play Barnell Bohusk (AKA Beak) in 20th Century Fox's X-Men: Wolverine. Here's a description of the character:

Beak was a mutant whose bones were light and hollow. His arms had begun to grow feathers, which when fully formed, may have allowed him to fly. He could at the mean time glide and fly for short distances with great effort. Beak also had enhanced eyesight along with talons on his hands and feet. Even though Beak had bird-like qualities, it was extremely difficult for him to fly.

[Just Jeans]

It sounds like this film is turning into a massive cameo gallery for Marvel mutants.

[Rick]

I thought Reynolds wasn't interested in Deadpool because he was too close to the character he played in Blade. Could be the make-up though, Deadpool's face is messed up but I just remember Reynolds says he'd already done the same type of guy in Blade Trinity.

[Cody]

According to Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia8852bfeb779d0679cb6aa431b8eb293) and Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981281.html?categoryid=13&cs=1), the cinematic Barnell Bohusk has different abilities than those described in my previous post -

Monaghan will play Barnell, a mysterious character... a former military ally... from Wolverine's past, who has the ability to manipulate energy and electricity.

And another new cast member

Daniel Henney will portray Agent Zero, a member of the Weapon X program and an expert tracker with lethal marksman skills.

[Nick Michalak]

I really hope they are not overloading the mutants here. That was part of the problem with all three X-Men films - too many characters and too little time to develop them. Thus, all the characters end up being one-dimensional dullards. Hopefully, all these characters are mere cameos or very minor roles allowing Wolverine and a few main characters to have some depth.

-NJM

[Cody]

Spy pics (http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/03/04/hugh-jackman-liev-schreiber/): Sabretooth eats an apple.

[Rick]

Wow, Sabertooth looks out of shape.
I know they don't care about getting the characters physically comparable to the comic and at least he doesn't look like a giant hobo this time like he did in X-Men, but seriously monster hands and mutton chops or not Liev Schreiber does not look the part. Beer gut and man-boobs? Sabretooth is supposed to be in good shape at the very least.

[Apocalypto]

They better not be fucking around this time about Gambit. Singer teased us with every film about doing Gambit, but ultimately, cut him out every damn time. One of the million reasons why I hate Bryan Singer. Even a cameo would've been satisfying - dark hair, slender build, brown trench coat, a pack of playing cards. Fuck, if I gave one of my characters a Cajun accent, I would've had Gambit in my indie thriller. Anyway, it had best be for real, and it had best be done right. We've already had Singer botch up too many characters in this franchise. Glad he's not involved, hope it shows.

Now, where's Alpha Flight?

-NJM

I really hope they are not overloading the mutants here. That was part of the problem with all three X-Men films - too many characters and too little time to develop them. Thus, all the characters end up being one-dimensional dullards. Hopefully, all these characters are mere cameos or very minor roles allowing Wolverine and a few main characters to have some depth.

-NJM

You rule.:)

[andrew8798]

First Wolverine footage screened at Comic Con

http://www.superherohype.com/news/x-mennews.php?id=7532

"Jackman promised that the movie is "big, action-packed and bad-ass" and that we'll see a lot of "berzerker rage" in it, before showing the footage that was cut together especially for Comic-Con, even though he promised that it would look even better when the movie comes out next May.

The footage went by so fast that it was impossible to catch everything the first time--and they only showed it once unfortunately--but it begins with Jackman's Logan and Liev Schreiber's Victor Creed dressed in military gear in a detention cell where they're being interrogated by the younger Major William Stryker, played by Danny Huston. He says, "You were sentenced to death for decapitating a senior officer. Your sentence was to be carried out by a firing squad at 1000 hours. How'd that go?" Then Wolverine said, "It tickled." We see the two of them put in front of a firing squad who shoots at them, but they escape and we see Logan walking away as the building explodes behind them.

Stryker continues asking them if they're tired of running and denying their true nature and tells them he's putting together a "special team with special privileges" referring to the early stages of Weapon X or Alpha Flight. As he says this, we see brief glimpses of all the other characters in the movie, including Taylor Kitsch's Gambit, who looked amazing in action, Lynn Collins as Silverfox, Kevin Durand as The Blob, and even a short glimpse of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool.

Most of the non-action scenes in the footage were dialogue sequences between Jackman and Schreiber with them talking over whether to take up Stryker's offer, and this is obviously what's going to lead to the long-time friends having a difference of opinions that leads to their age-old conflict. Logan says to Creed something about wanting to make a difference and asks how he'd like to get started, at which Creed tells Logan, "We didn't sign up for this. Who do you think you are? This is what we do! Become the animal."

From there, we get a few scenes of the experiments done to Logan to turn him into Wolverine, which looks like it was designed after the classic origin tale told in Barry Windsor-Smith's "Weapon X" story with him bursting out of the vat with the adamantium spikes coming out of skin. There was also a brief glimpse of Logan as a boy in a kimono with his claws extended which harks back to images from "Origins" and Frank Miller's take on the character's roots in Japan.

We see a few quick bits of Wolverine fighting some of the characters, including the Blob and Gambit, but the best moments are when he's taking on Sabretooth (of course)--sorry, Tyler Mane, but I think Liev Schreiber is going to make a lot better Victor Creed--and the clip reel ended with Wolverine hanging from the top of the helicopter while it's flying through the air."

[Scarecrow]

Sounds awesome. Although this might as well be X-Men IV considering Wolverines consistance starring role. :p


- Scarecrow

[andrew8798]

Teaser may be attached to The Day the Earth Stood Still.

XMenFilms.net has learned from 20th Century Fox that the studio is targeting The Day the Earth Stood Still for the launch of its first X-Men Origins: Wolverine teaser trailer. The Keanu Reeves-starrer opens in conventional theaters and IMAX on December 12th. We'll have to wait and see if the studio will release the teaser earlier online that week.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, directed by Gavin Hood, stars Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Will.i.am, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Daniel Henney and Lynn Collins. It opens May 1st.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/x-mennews.php?id=7785

[Spook]

I hope it's the trailer from Comic Con. That thing was fucking amazing! It made the movie look so epic and just plain badass.

[andrew8798]

First Photo of Gambit in Wolverine

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e264/andrew8798/gambitcsshh.jpg

[Michellemabelle]

http://i36.tinypic.com/2le2o35.gif%20

I'm looking forward to Gambit.

[Nick Michalak]

Where'd that footage come from? They release a trailer?

-NJM

[Michellemabelle]

Where'd that footage come from? They release a trailer?

-NJM

It's from a bootleg trailer shot at San Diego Comic-Con.

[Spook]

Yeah, that bootleg trailer makes this film look epically badass. I love the idea of Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth.

[Michellemabelle]

Yeah, that bootleg trailer makes this film look epically badass. I love the idea of Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth.

Me too. I liked Mane, but he was seriously underused in X1.

[SaturdayThe14th]

It's about time they bring Gambit to the big screen. He is easily one of the most popular and coolest X-Men. I too think Schrieber will be good as Sabretooth. I'm looking forward to seeing Deadpool too. I heard Ryan Reynolds is playing him, good choice. Ever since i saw the first X-Men movie I've hoping they would make a just Wolverine movie so I hope it won't be a let down.

[jasonlives13]

Ryan reynolds is a legend

[Michellemabelle]

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z224/Frazetta/untitled-7.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z224/Frazetta/LoganCreed.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z224/Frazetta/Tiedup.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z224/Frazetta/WWII.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z224/Frazetta/UnderWater.jpg

[Michellemabelle]

INTERVIEW: Liev Schreiber Talks about Wolverine Footage and MORE
Monday, December 8, 2008 8:01AM - By Mali


This weekend, ScreenCrave sat down with Liev Schreiber to talk about his upcoming role in Defiance, (full interview to come) and was lucky enough to grab some info about his role as Sabertooth in the upcoming Hugh Jackman movie, Wolverine.

Liev knew that even though some fans were reluctant about him playing Sabertooth, he was confident that he could stand toe to toe with Jackman. Below he talks about his research, reading the comics, taking on the role, and even some new footage that he’s seen. Check it out…


Do you find it fun being an action guy?

Yeah! What’s the fun? Haven’t you ever played cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians? I don’t think men really grow pass 22 intellectually. Physically we just get older and we’re less capable of doing the things you want to do, but you never stop wanting to do them.

How much fun was Wolverine for you?

Insanely fun. I felt very self conscious originally because I knew the fans didn’t like the idea of me playing Sabertooth?

Really?

I think I’m perceived as a kind of urbane, New Yorker. Maybe I’ve done too many movies with Jewish characters or something. They’re like “It’s like Woody Allen playing Sabertooh.” And I’m like no actually it’s not. I’m 6′3” I’m bigger than Hugh Jackman, I can do this.

Could you take him?

I could take him yeah. No I really can! In fact I do! But the reality is, since I’ve known him and I’ve known him a long time, Hugh has become this colossal man. He’s huge! Just muscles everywhere and I have to play this guy who whoops his ass. So, as soon as I finished Defiance, I began this kind of four month training period of weight lifting, this kind of genocide of chickens phase of my life where I just got bigger and bigger and bigger and it was awful, but amazing and fun. Then when I finally got there and got to choreograph the fights with Hugh and get on the wire and do the work, it’s not just that it was fun, I saw some of the footage, and it’s pretty cool.

You’re listed as two different characters in the film Victor Creed and Sabertooth what is that about?

[Evil Laugh] Victor Creed is Sabertooth. I just wanted everyone to know I got a name.

Did you read the comics?

Oh I read the comics before I got offered the part. I knew the character really well. Initially I had been asked to play Striker, and I asked, “do you think there is any way I could play this Victor Creed guy?”

The research that I did, Victor’s particular mutant issue, has nothing to do with his name “Sabertooth” but that’s where I decided to start. What is Sabertooth. How do they move? What are their behavioral characteristics? And I knew this stuff from the comic. I knew that he was a completely savage street fighter and that, that was his MO. But, what I hadn’t seen in some of the earlier films that I was interested in trying to pursue. Is what drives the guy, and instead of saying this guy is just a violent brute, what is the cocktail that makes the brute tick. Hopefully people will like it.



Wolverine's Schreiber Is Feral

Liev Schreiber, who plays Victor Creed aka Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, told a group of reporters that Sabretooth is the most brutal character he has ever played. Schreiber takes over the role played by Tyler Mane in X-Men in a prequel tracing the early days of Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).

"I found it to be really intense," Schreiber said in a group interview on Dec. 7 in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting Defiance. "The character I play is incredibly brutal and feral and has a bloodlust unlike any other character I've ever played. This guy is a real killer."

Sabretooth faces off with Wolverine many times in the prequel film. Schreiber described choreographing the film's action sequences with Jackman.

"Just to do [a] fight scene with Hugh was really terrific because as a dancer, he has that kind of discipline and choreography," Schreiber said. "I always studied to be a fight choreographer and wanted to be a dancer, too, but didn't quite have the feet for it. We have some remarkable fight scenes together, and I'm looking forward to people seeing those."

As a fan of the comic books, Schreiber vouched for the upcoming film's interpretation. "I was a fan of the comic books," he said. "I just loved the character of Wolverine. I always have. That sort of deeply ironic and very urban sensibility on a superhero was something that I thought was really groundbreaking, the style of writing, particularly the very sort of editorial style. I just always loved it, and I think that we were able to capture some of that darkness in this movie, so I'm very proud."


Seems Liev loves Sabretooth. Good to know.

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

I have a lot of faith in how Liev is going to perform Sabretooth. From the Comic Con teaser I can already tell you he plays the part better than Tyler Mane.

[Apocalypto]

As much as I abhor the X-Men films and think almost everything about them was bungled beyond description, the trailer actually doesn't look bad.

It looks alot darker and Wolverine looks far more visceral than the watered down kiddy version from the X-Men trilogy. "Do you even know how to kill me?...I'll cut off your head, see if that works" embodies the Wolverine of the comics far better than hokey one-liners like "what do they call you, wheels?" ever did, and the action scenes look pretty cool.

My major problem with it is a too big Wolverine fighting a too small Sabretooth, and I like Liev Shrieber but it feels like an awkward piece of casting for that character, it does look like Wolverine himself and the overall feel of the movie are more on target (hard to be less) than his first three solo films though. This really just looks like another solo movie, only darker and more intense.

[VoorheesGuy91]

Judging from what I saw in the trailer that was attatched to The Day the Earth Stood Still, I have to say that this installment looks even worse than X-Men 3...just my two cents.

[Spook]

Damn, there was no trailer attached to TDTESS at my theater. Was it good? Was it a variation of the Comic Con footage (for those who have seen it) or something new entirely?

[Just Jeans]

I saw the trailer tonight on The Day the Earth Stood Still. It looks better than the parent series, but it didn't really knock my socks off. I'll probably see it, but I'm still debating on whether or not to check it out at the cinema or wait for DVD.

Was it good?

It was less dull than The Day the Earth Stood Still. You can draw your own conclusions. :X

[Cody]

Shitty cams of the trailers:

mXGfqrn7nTA

3sm10EmTe_c

[Scarecrow]

Liev Schreiber is a fantastic actor and he's kind of one of the reasons I',m really starting to look forward to this.


- Scarecrow

[Penhall]

I'm really surprised at all the negativity towards the X-Men films. I knew 3 was looked down upon (deservedly so) but I always thought the first 2 movies (number 2 especially) were pretty well-liked. Anyway, I'll definitley be there opening weekend to see this one....

[Nick Michalak]

Well, for me, the reason I do not like the X-Men films is due to the paper thin and stereotypical characterizations. There's barely any depth of character, and some poorly written dialogue in the first film. The character backstories were ALL fucked up - too many to count. Though, for example, Rogue isn't supposed to be a teenager, Iceman's supposed to be one of the original X-Men, and Pyro was a blonde Australian villain (never aligned with the X-Men). Some characters who actually aren't mutants at all in the comics - like Juggernaut or Lady Deathstrike - are mutants in the films. There's hardly anything faithful to the source material with the three X-Men films. They showed no backstory between Wolverine or Sabretooth nor Wolverine and Deathstrike. They really fucked it all up to hell in relation to the original comics (Earth 616, I believe).

-NJM

[andrew8798]

Trailer

http://www.superherohype.com/news/x-mennews.php?id=7913

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

Looks amazing!

I just can't wait until Dave's Trailer Page has the trailer up to download.

[Just Jeans]

Ask and ye shall receive:

HD 480P (http://largeassets.myspacecdn.com/creative/hd/wolverine_trlA/48043679_480p.mov) (49Mb)
HD 720P (http://largeassets.myspacecdn.com/creative/hd/wolverine_trlA/48043679_720p.mov) (123Mb)
HD 1080P (http://largeassets.myspacecdn.com/creative/hd/wolverine_trlA/48043679_1080p.mov) (257Mb)

[Apocalypto]

I'm really surprised at all the negativity towards the X-Men films. I knew 3 was looked down upon (deservedly so) but I always thought the first 2 movies (number 2 especially) were pretty well-liked. Anyway, I'll definitley be there opening weekend to see this one....

For me it's the exact opposite. For the life of me, I can't understand the positivity toward the first two ridiculously lackluster efforts, and especially how those that love them can call X3 a terrible movie.

"It was less dull than The Day the Earth Stood Still. You can draw your own conclusions."

I wish that the X-Men films could've been as "dull" as TDTESS.

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

Thanks, Jeans! :D

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc216/homeofhorror3/homeofhorror4/vlcsnap-152356.png

[nottidelterrore]

The trailer looks pretty rad. I'll definitely be checking this out.

[Scarecrow]

The first two X-Men films wer epretty groundbreaking and few would argue thta they paved the way for the superhero films we have today., As when Doctor Who returned, the series had to hit the mainstream first, so the first two X-Men films were focused on convincing a mainstream audience. And, as time went, budgets increased, and films became closer to the comics. A more straight adapatatoon of X-Men could probably be made now and be a success but they were the films they were, needed at the time to bring this goldenage of comic films about.


- Scarecrow

[Michellemabelle]

http://i36.tinypic.com/1410avc.jpg

Little Storm? I wonder what her role will be...

[Natman]

The first two X-Men films wer epretty groundbreaking and few would argue thta they paved the way for the superhero films we have today., As when Doctor Who returned, the series had to hit the mainstream first, so the first two X-Men films were focused on convincing a mainstream audience. And, as time went, budgets increased, and films became closer to the comics. A more straight adapatatoon of X-Men could probably be made now and be a success but they were the films they were, needed at the time to bring this goldenage of comic films about.


- Scarecrow

Agreed on pretty much every level.

[Just Jeans]

I wish that the X-Men films could've been as "dull" as TDTESS.

I think the original X-Men film is about the must dull film I've ever seen, even more dull than the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still.

[NW77]

I'm really surprised at all the negativity towards the X-Men films. I knew 3 was looked down upon (deservedly so) but I always thought the first 2 movies (number 2 especially) were pretty well-liked. Anyway, I'll definitley be there opening weekend to see this one....

Me too. But I can understand that you can't please all X-Men's fans. It just not possible to do so. At least you & I share something in common with liking both part 1 & 2, while hating part 3. That one suck donkey's balls. :p

And the better quality of Wolverine look great. I like the Easter eggs cameos of several muties like Storm, Emma Frost, etc. :)

[The Dream Master]

I actually like the third one better than the first one. I actually wish it would have been longer.

[Apocalypto]

The first two X-Men films wer epretty groundbreaking and few would argue thta they paved the way for the superhero films we have today., As when Doctor Who returned, the series had to hit the mainstream first, so the first two X-Men films were focused on convincing a mainstream audience. And, as time went, budgets increased, and films became closer to the comics. A more straight adapatatoon of X-Men could probably be made now and be a success but they were the films they were, needed at the time to bring this goldenage of comic films about.


- Scarecrow

Their success may have paved the way for superhero flims, but I don't think that there quality (or rather lack there of) contributed anything to cinema whatsoever.

The films didn't need to turn the X-Men into a bunch of vapid dullards in order to have the impact that they did. My problem with the characters in the films isn't that they don't perferctly mirror their comic book counterparts, it's that most of them are paper thin.
Pyro's characterization was different, but I didn't have any problem with it because atleast he had some subtance. I had huge probelms with Storm, Jean, and Cylops all being generic and interchangeable with no distinct personality characteristics, and Wolverine being a watered down shell of what he was in the comics though.

"I actually like the third one better than the first one. I actually wish it would have been longer."

Atleast 3 finally gave Storm some leadership qualities, gave Jean two personalities (two more than she had in Singer's movies), and got Beast right.

The new film appears to have atleast somewhat captured the essence of Wolverine, which the first three films never did despite devoting the bulk of all three films to that one character.

[Alex DeLarge]

As when Doctor Who returned, the series had to hit the mainstream first, so the first two X-Men films were focused on convincing a mainstream audience.

Pfft, the three minutes of Episode 1, "Rose," has more characterization for Rose, Mickey, Jackie and the Doctor then the entire first two X-Men films had for ANY character. Forget mainstream, they are badly scripted films. Period. That comments HURTS because Russell T. Davies wrote the most brilliant script and series that perfectly presents this idea to a new audience, remains faithful to the original and tells a damn interesting story in its own right (and makes it look EASY). The X-Men films are barely tolerable films in their own right, nevermind the other stuff.

[Just Jeans]

Pfft, the three minutes of Episode 1, "Rose," has more characterization for Rose, Mickey, Jackie and the Doctor then the entire first two X-Men films had for ANY character.

Troof. I can't speak for all three movies, but the Singer's first X-Men film doesn't even begin to touch RTD's first Doctor Who script on the characterization front, which is sad when you one runs much shorter than the other.

[jasonlives13]

Do not like the look of sabretooth

[Biosynthnut v.2]

Bout time they did something that didn't suck like XM3...... And my man Gambit is in it :D

[Apocalypto]

Bout time they did something that didn't suck like XM3......

Yeah, or X2 or X1.;)

Even though I'm not exactly pumped for this movie, I can't think of anything in the summer '09 line up that seems more appealing...which is sad.

[The Taff]

http://i36.tinypic.com/1410avc.jpg

Little Storm? I wonder what her role will be...

I have more faith in that little girl playing Storm than Halle Barry.

[Apocalypto]

Storm was given so little to work with in the films I don't think it would've mattered who played her anyway.

[Just Jeans]

And my man Gambit is in it :D

Biggest selling point in the film for me. The exclusion of Gambit from the parent franchise played a part in my never moving on to X2.

[Cody]

Collider hears (http://www.collider.com/entertainment/news/article.asp/aid/10508/tcid/1)

Sources have informed us that Fox is conducting extensive re-shoots for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", some or all of those re-shoots in Vancouver. And by "extensive" we're not talking about a few days of pick-ups. More curious was the studio considered bringing in a few journalists to cover these re-shoots. Now usually re-shoots such as this are done quietly. Studios don't want you to know they done fucked up and can't get their shit together in the editing room.

As for the production, everyone (and by "everyone", I mean the world of online film journalists) knows that Gavin Hood was not getting to make the movie he wanted while on set. There have been reports of Fox basically going around Hood and micro-managing like they always do. Example: some sets were re-painted because it's what the execs wanted, not what Hood wanted.

There have also been many leaked reports that Richard Donner was on the set in some capacity while they were filming. Some in the online world have speculated that Mr. Donner was doing more than just standing around, casting long, adoring gazes at Taylor Kitsch (although he can hardly be faulted if that was the case). We can neither confirm nor substantiate these claims about Donner since we weren't there and we don't know. But with Gavin Hood helming the re-shoots, Fox and Hood must have come to an understanding and are clearly trying to salvage one of the summer tent-poles of 2009. Let's hope that Fox is spending all this money to finally give fans the movie that they've been clamoring for.

Fox says

...these shoots were always planned and are intended to capture specific weather conditions.

[The Dream Master]

It'd be kind of funny if Donner stepped in and mucked with someone else's film, considering what happened to him on Superman 2. :X

[Cody]

New trailer (http://www.mtv.com/videos/movie-trailers/347877/x-men-origins-wolverine.jhtml#id=1606349)

[Nick Michalak]

"Ooh, shiny."

That trailer sells me better on the film, but I'm not enjoying that Wolverine on top of the helicopter shot. Just starts to say "cheesy action film" to me, like something from The Transporter sequels. Regardless, I'm interested to see Hugh & Liev square off, and was that Scott Summers in there with his eyes all blasting the walls down? Intriguing. Anyone hear a run time for this? I hope they don't try jamming such a long stretch of history into a 100 minute film. Would be X3 all over again.

-NJM

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, I haven't seen the new trailer (I figure it'll be in front of Watchmen tomorrow night), but the earlier trailer indicates that the film is going to cover a ton of history. I'd be really disappointed if it ends up being anything less than 2 hours long, to be honest.

[Cody]

And the only reference to runtime I've seen has been "less than 2 hours".

[jasonlives13]

Saw the new trailer infront of the watchmen, ill probably check it out, I still can't get the notion of "cotton" as sabretooth

[Michellemabelle]

Saw the new trailer infront of the watchmen, ill probably check it out, I still can't get the notion of "cotton" as sabretooth

He'll be better than Mane.

[The Taff]

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/vulture34/Deadpoolopticblast.jpg

What the fuck is Deadpool fireing optic blasts for?

[Cody]

That's Weapon X1.

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

That's Weapon X1.

Exactly...which they end up calling Deadpool.

Save yourself some Money and Time and read ALL ABOUT IT here (http://io9.com/5167911/a-wolverine-synopsis-thats-so-demented-it-must-be-true) and here (http://www.geektyrant.com/2009/03/more-on-deadpool/):

[Cody]

Hmm. If them's the facts, this doesn't sound too good.

[Scarecrow]

Loved seeing Gambit in the trailer. That's pretty much our reason for going to see this.


- Scarecrow

[Nick Michalak]

Just had to slip a Gambit image into this thread.

http://www.zereldax.com/wbc/gallery/d/14-2/135949_gambit5.jpeg

-NJM

[Michellemabelle]

What the fuck have they done to Deadpool...?

[Rick]

Same thing they have done to all of the X-Men, screwed up the character and the histories.

[Michellemabelle]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/BrooklynCrippler/photo_02_003.jpg

[Rick]

Wow, how pissed is Marvel?
A near DVD-quality workprint of Wolverine has leaked. It's about 15 minutes short of the theatrical running time according to the article, so the re-shoots/additional scenes are probably what is missing. Apparently there are some unfinished FX as well.

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/13725/-wolverine-leaked-fallout-ensues/

[Just Jeans]

I read about this earlier today. Wondered if it was an April Fool's joke.

[Cody]

It's about 15 minutes short of the theatrical running time according to the article, so the re-shoots/additional scenes are probably what is missing.

I don't think that's accurate, though, because Ryan Reynolds' scenes are in the leaked copy, and that was part of the additional photography. Plus there's a watermark on the bootleg that dates it as being worked on on March 2nd. So I think what's out there is pretty much what will be in theatres, other than a large amount of CG touch ups that still needed to be done as of the leaked version.

[Rick]

I thought Reynolds was already in the movie and the additional stuff was just more with his character.
I also thought some of the additional scenes were supposed to be some war shots.

[Alex DeLarge]

Okay, just saw it. Hmm... overall, a pretty good film with one HUGE complaint. I liked it better than any of the X-Films. I thought Wolverine was very well characterized and his relationship with Victor was excellent. It had nice themes that developed. It's not perfect (even ignoring what I'm about to get to) but viewing it solely as a film about Wolverine as a character, it's much better than X1-3. Now moving on to my big problem...

I'm very hesitant with the "*blank* In Name Only" title. I think most of the time it's unfounded. They redo or remake something and change some vital aspects and fans don't like it and complain, "It's in name only!" when actually it has a lot of similarities; they just change some huge things. But Weapon XI is very, very close to being DINO. Deadpool In Name Only.

Ryan Reynolds has been all over promotion as Deadpool in this film. That's a bit of a marketting cheat. He appears in the first 10 minutes of the film as Deadpool. There, he's not bad. Not a perfect representation, but Reynolds is obviously having fun, there's some pretty cool moves with the sword and some of the lines made me chuckle. Not a bad representation of the Merc with a Mouth. So what's the problem? When I said he's in it for 10 minutes, I mean just that. He appears for barely two scenes, does some cool stuff and leaves. A few scenes later, we are told he's dead.

I thought that was a little strange that Deadpool just died off screen after like 10 minutes, but honestly though that would be the end of his character. Nope. Turns out Weapon XI is Deadpool. He's the culmination of the Weapon Plus (never named, but that may be due to rights as it was named Weapon Plus in TIH) program, being grafted every single mutant power we've seen so far as well as some freaky things like Baraka-style weapons under his arms, eyelids cut off and mouth shut. And he goes around, is evil, fights Wolverine and Sabretooth and gets decapitated.

What?

Let me get this straight. After the first ten minutes, when Deadpool returns, he... a) is played by a new actor, b) is unable to speak, c) looks like a Mortal Kombat reject, d) has completely new powers (like optic blasts) and e) has no personality; just a mindless weapon for Stryker to use. In that case, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HAVING DEADPOOL IN THE FILM?! If you're going to change Deadpool that much where he doesn't look/act/sound/have the same powers like the comics character, why put him there? Why not just make Weapon XI it's own entity like Weapon XV from Morrison's run? And I know some people are going to argue and complain that "If he's Deadpool, it has more resonance!" but not the way they did it, it doesn't. There's absolutely no weight behind the fact that "crazy, trying-to-kill-everyone guy" used to be Ryan Reynolds, beyond a reference to his joking mouth being shut up.

Honestly, I think the film would have been better without Deadpool. I have no idea how they're going to do this spin-off idea with Reynolds...

[The Dark Vampire]

I want to see it "early" but TBH I'm not willing to take the risk

[Rick]

Okay, just saw it. Hmm... overall, a pretty good film with one HUGE complaint. I liked it better than any of the X-Films. I thought Wolverine was very well characterized and his relationship with Victor was excellent. It had nice themes that developed. It's not perfect (even ignoring what I'm about to get to) but viewing it solely as a film about Wolverine as a character, it's much better than X1-3. Now moving on to my big problem...

I'm very hesitant with the "*blank* In Name Only" title. I think most of the time it's unfounded. They redo or remake something and change some vital aspects and fans don't like it and complain, "It's in name only!" when actually it has a lot of similarities; they just change some huge things. But Weapon XI is very, very close to being DINO. Deadpool In Name Only.

Ryan Reynolds has been all over promotion as Deadpool in this film. That's a bit of a marketting cheat. He appears in the first 10 minutes of the film as Deadpool. There, he's not bad. Not a perfect representation, but Reynolds is obviously having fun, there's some pretty cool moves with the sword and some of the lines made me chuckle. Not a bad representation of the Merc with a Mouth. So what's the problem? When I said he's in it for 10 minutes, I mean just that. He appears for barely two scenes, does some cool stuff and leaves. A few scenes later, we are told he's dead.

I thought that was a little strange that Deadpool just died off screen after like 10 minutes, but honestly though that would be the end of his character. Nope. Turns out Weapon XI is Deadpool. He's the culmination of the Weapon Plus (never named, but that may be due to rights as it was named Weapon Plus in TIH) program, being grafted every single mutant power we've seen so far as well as some freaky things like Baraka-style weapons under his arms, eyelids cut off and mouth shut. And he goes around, is evil, fights Wolverine and Sabretooth and gets decapitated.

What?

Let me get this straight. After the first ten minutes, when Deadpool returns, he... a) is played by a new actor, b) is unable to speak, c) looks like a Mortal Kombat reject, d) has completely new powers (like optic blasts) and e) has no personality; just a mindless weapon for Stryker to use. In that case, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HAVING DEADPOOL IN THE FILM?! If you're going to change Deadpool that much where he doesn't look/act/sound/have the same powers like the comics character, why put him there? Why not just make Weapon XI it's own entity like Weapon XV from Morrison's run? And I know some people are going to argue and complain that "If he's Deadpool, it has more resonance!" but not the way they did it, it doesn't. There's absolutely no weight behind the fact that "crazy, trying-to-kill-everyone guy" used to be Ryan Reynolds, beyond a reference to his joking mouth being shut up.

Honestly, I think the film would have been better without Deadpool. I have no idea how they're going to do this spin-off idea with Reynolds...

I had the exact same problem you did.
That's why I thought the extra scenes shot in January were done to give Deadpool more screen-time then what we got in this work-print.
It was a pretty big waste of a great character, especially if they want to do a Deadpool movie. They just screwed it all up unless the Deadpool movie will talk place before (or in between the scenes of) this movie.
Regarding his off screen death, a rule i always employ with any movie is that if you are told a character is dead but don't see it onscreen don't believe it, so his sort of return at the end didn't surprise me.
Either way, Deadpool was completely wasted and i agree they should have used or created a different character if that's the way they were going to treat him. The Marvel universe if full of characters they could have done that too. And your description of WeaponXI as a Mortal Kombat reject is spot on.
Personally I think the movie was just O.K. but was really let down by the end. The final battle just didn't do it for me. I thought it should have been more exciting.
Shooting Wolverine in the head so he lost his memories was pretty lame as well IMO. I don't know how else they would have done it, but it seemed like it was just thrown in there to link it up with the beginning of X-Men, sort of the way the end of Star Wars EP 3 felt like to me (erase this droid's memories and oh by the way Qui Gong is still alive and you live in the force, so it all fits).
Also, as much as people are fans of Gambit he was wasted, too. They've made sort of a big deal about him being in this and it's the same thing as Deadpool to a degree. He's in the bar, he has a fight with Wolverine, agrees to help him and then shows up in the last 2 minutes again.
Regarding the Deadpool movie, are they trying to actually make one? I remember Goyer wanted to make one with Reynolds after Blade3 and Reynolds said he wasn't interested because he had pretty much just played the character under a different name in the last Blade flick. Maybe his experience on Blade soured him on the whole idea for the time being, maybe he just ended up not liking the way Goyer works, maybe it was a combination of things, who knows. Still, they got him to cameo in Wolverine as Deadpool, then destroyed the character.
What was the point of completely fucking up the character like that if they want to do a solo movie?
I will go see this in theatres because the movie wasn't complete crap, my girlfriend and friends want to see it and i'm curious to see if there really is another 15 minutes of footage they intend to insert.

[Cody]

I thought Reynolds was already in the movie and the additional stuff was just more with his character.

Reynolds is saying in interviews that all of his stuff was during the additional photography. He couldn't make it to Australia when they were shooting the bulk of the film, so they joined up with him in Vancouver afterward.

[Rick]

Reynolds is saying in interviews that all of his stuff was during the additional photography. He couldn't make it to Australia when they were shooting the bulk of the film, so they joined up with him in Vancouver afterward.

That's a real let down.
I was hoping for more of the character then what we ended up getting.
I guess that's why it's a different actor (stuntman?) playing WeaponXI.
I know this wasn't a Deadpool movie and hope we get one at some point (mask and all in some scenes), but his importance to the story and the marketing is really going to let some people down.
They could have made an awsome Wolverine movie where Sabretooth is his main adversary.
Instead I think this suffers from some of the same peoblems as the X-men movies. They try to cram in too many characters so none of them end up getting the proper treatment.
Infact, IMO, all of the X-men movies should have been called Wolverine: insert subtitle here, but that's a rant for another thread.

[Just Jeans]

Let me get this straight. After the first ten minutes, when Deadpool returns, he... a) is played by a new actor, b) is unable to speak, c) looks like a Mortal Kombat reject, d) has completely new powers (like optic blasts) and e) has no personality; just a mindless weapon for Stryker to use.

Considering I was really looking forward to a Deadpool spin-off with Ryan Reynolds, I'm not sure how I feel about the comments being made about the leak of this film. It kills any enthusiasm I've go to see it, frankly. I was more interested in Reynolds portrayal of Deadpool than I was Wolverine. It sounds to me like this movie is going to fail hard in that respect.

This shit makes me want to...

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/epicfacepalm.jpg

[Rick]

Considering I was really looking forward to a Deadpool spin-off with Ryan Reynolds, I'm not sure how I feel about the comments being made about the leak of this film. It kills any enthusiasm I've go to see it, frankly. I was more interested in Reynolds portrayal of Deadpool than I was Wolverine. It sounds to me like this movie is going to fail hard in that respect.

This shit makes me want to...

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/epicfacepalm.jpg

The team they put together in the film breaks up and they are disbanded for an unspecified period of time. A Deadpool movie could take place in those years (although it's never stated as far as I can remember if it's been months or years since they went their separate ways.
of course if the solo movies are going to keep an over all continuity it still doesn't leave much room for sequels.

[Alex DeLarge]

Actually, I'd kind of like to see the spin-off set after this. I know there's no way they'll go down this route and instead probably make a prequel to a prequel, but despite the MAJOR fuck-up on his character, I think they could actually salvage some stuff from the fuck-up. Yeah, he's decapitated but Deadpool's survived decapitation before in the comics. Sure, it's outrageous but Deadpool's an outrageous character. Let's say he survives the decapitation; he loses most of his power but keeps say some of the healing factor, giving him back his mouth but not healing him exactly, still looking fucked up. This could give him an excuse to get a more comics accurate body-covering costume. The incident could leave him vengeful and angry, going on a rampge but still keeping his trademark wisecracking; the incident only fuels his sarcastic tongue instead of remove it.

[Rick]

Wasn't it the WeaponX program that messed up his face to begin with?
I guess with his abilities he could surgically reopen his mouth if he was to somehow reattach his head to his neck, but how would he lose Scott's eyes and the forearm katanas? I guess they'd have to surgically remove those too.
Of course if they are still going to court Ryan Reynolds for the role do you really think they'll cover his face with messed up FX or a mask the whole time?
If Reynolds is in the movie people will go expecting to see him, if he's going to be in a mask, just hire a stuntman for the role and get Reynolds to do the voice over, it'd be cheaper over all.

[Just Jeans]

Does Deadpool at least acknowledge that he's a film character in this? I ask because I've been wondering if the "fourth wall breaking" aspect would carry over from comic to film.

[Rick]

Does Deadpool at least acknowledge that he's a film character in this? I ask because I've been wondering if the "fourth wall breaking" aspect would carry over from comic to film.

Nope, not that I noticed. They played this as straight as the X-Men series.

[Just Jeans]

What a load of old shit. :(

[Apocalypto]

Okay, just saw it. Hmm... overall, a pretty good film with one HUGE complaint. I liked it better than any of the X-Films. I thought Wolverine was very well characterized and his relationship with Victor was excellent. It had nice themes that developed. It's not perfect (even ignoring what I'm about to get to) but viewing it solely as a film about Wolverine as a character, it's much better than X1-3. Now moving on to my big problem...

Based on my vehement disdain for the first three Wolverine solo flicks (that couldn't even come close to getting him right despite how much time is wasted on him), this review actually has me feeling cautiously optimistic.

I talked to someone else that saw the workprint and his thoughts on it had pretty much trampled any hope I had in the film since he loves the first two movies and thought Wolverine was a weaker character in X3 than in the Singer flicks, and he said this was the weakest of the four.

If this is the weakest of the four for me, I just found something that may just be bad enough to rival Transformers 2 for what's likely to be my worst film of the year.

[Rick]

I haven't collecred anything but Friday the 13th and Halloween comics for a while, does anyone know if the history they follow for Wolverine in this move is from any specific continuity?
Major spoiler possibly?It starts off in the North West Territories in Northern Canada, Wolverine is a sickly child from a wealthy family, Victor is his friend, they turn out to be brothers and Victor uses Wolverine's name "James" through out the film. Is this from the Ultimate Wolverine story line?

[Darth Sinister]

It's based off of "Origin", "Wolverine: Evolution", "Wolverine Origins" with classic material from Uncanny X-Men, Alpha Flight and the first volume of Wolverine's monthly series. Ultimate has little to do with it. It also builds off of what was established in the first two X-Men films.

[Rick]

Thanks for the info.

[WOLF]

I'll be checking this out when it hits theaters. I hope whoever leaked it gets the maximum sentence. Downloading it isn't different than walking into Best Buy and taking a DVD. Minor shop lifting, but a thief is a thief.

[Alex DeLarge]

Based on my vehement disdain for the first three Wolverine solo flicks (that couldn't even come close to getting him right despite how much time is wasted on him), this review actually has me feeling cautiously optimistic.

I talked to someone else that saw the workprint and his thoughts on it had pretty much trampled any hope I had in the film since he loves the first two movies and thought Wolverine was a weaker character in X3 than in the Singer flicks, and he said this was the weakest of the four.

If this is the weakest of the four for me, I just found something that may just be bad enough to rival Transformers 2 for what's likely to be my worst film of the year.

Well, despite the fanboy hate for this, I actually think Wolverine is the best characterized of the four in this. In X1-3, his characterization is pretty much, "Grr... I'm tough... grr... I don't have a past... grr... Jean pretty..." But this film really takes a central theme and runs with it. In this case...

The film is about killing. It's about murder and how good you are at it. That's why "Victor" here is 200x superior to Sabretooth in X1. That was just a mindless brute who said, "Okay" when Magneto said jump. This is an adversary truly worthy of being the Moriarty of Wolverine. The archnemesis. Because it's all about reversals. Wolverine in this is a cold blooded killer, but he hates that. He wants the normal, average life but as shown in the montage, all he's ever known is death. The famous Wolverine line (which is put into the movie) is "I'm the best at what I do and what I do ain't nice/pretty/whatever sweet adjective." But he hates it. Victor is the exact opposite. He's a pure sociopath, taking pleasure in the ending of others' lives. He and Wolverine are brothers, not just in a blood sense, but in a metaphorical sense as well. They're two sides of the same coin, taking the same things given to them and using them to go off in different directions... It benefits Wolverine and Victor magnificently as characters.

Now I'm not saying the film is perfect, it has a lot of problems (Deadpool being the big one and tons of little ones, like "adamantium bullets cause amnesia!" What?!) but ultimately the film is called "Wolverine" and he benefits so much from this. Best version of him on film and best performance from Jackman.

[SoulOnFire]

Just watched it and I thought it was really good. Maybe I'll be in the minority with that one.

As for Deadpool, I never thought he was Weapon XI. I figured Logan just THOUGHT it was Deadpool because of the katanas. I don't remember anyone else in the film saying he was Weapon XI.

[Alex DeLarge]

Stryker says that too doesn't he?

[Rick]

Logan asks if he's wade and WeaponXI gives him a look. Stryker. I think, makes it clear that Wade is WeaponXI, as well.
We also see him pre-op with his mouth sewn shut and the quote from Stryker earlier on says "If it wasn't for your mouth Wade, you'd be the perfect soldier. I htink there is enough there to confirm that Deadpool is definitely WeaponXI.

[Cody]

Multiple Secret Endings? (http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/04/24/x-men-origins-wolverine-will-have-multiple-secret-endings/)

Marvel has a tradition of hiding easter eggs in their films, and it's no exception for Wolverine. They've hidden multiple secret endings on different prints and theaters will be showing different versions.

Fox is a bit desperate to try and get people in theaters on May 1st for the opening and this definitely seems like a very unique decision to try and bring people in. While we've seen plenty of easter egg endings, like in Iron Man last year, we haven't seen multiple endings like this in a long time. Hood didn't say how many different endings there would be. As for the other differences between the leaked version and the final cut, Hood explained that there were 400 unfinished visual effects shots and that there was no score, unfinished sound mixing, and unfinished coloring. However, he didn't mention anything about differences in footage.

I will say, quickly, that I enjoyed Wolverine and wouldn't call it great, but liked it a lot more than I was expecting. I think my expectations had been brought down considerably because of all the negative buzz from the leak. However, seeing a finished and polished version was what made all the difference (I never saw the leaked version anyway).

As for the secret ending we saw tonight, I'll only say that it featured Deadpool, but I won't say anything more, as I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone.

We'll let you know when we hear any more about the secret endings in Wolverine, including how many there are and what they are.

[Nick Michalak]

Okay, first off - after every last painful detail we've heard about this film, which has not changed from workprint to release version, what makes Marvel think that an alternate ending is going to redeem it all? A shitty ending can kill a great film, but a great ending can't save a shitty film. Secondly, who here is actually going to buy into this without a doubt? They could lie to us about this right now to get hordes more into theatres opening weekend only to discover there is no alternate, let alone multiple alternate endings. They want to jack-up their opening weekend box office anyway they can in the face of negative buzz. And if this is so, why does this news only surface after it reaches the depths of its negative publicity? It's too convenient, and too suspicious. I call bullshit.

Also, this report comes, admittedly, from someone who didn't see the workprint - so how does he know the ending he saw is different from the workprint ending? Let alone an alterante one from any other release version? Unless it's an official press announcement from FOX, I don't put any stock in this. Granted, Fox isn't to be trusted, but if they advertise multiple alternate endings being released into theatres, then, don't deliver - it's false advertisement. They would be subject to lawsuits and other legal issues. Essentially, it's bait and switch, which is fraud, which is illegal. You advertise selling one thing, and then, once you're foot is in the door, you learn what they advertised isn't available and they hard sell you on something else.

Skeptical is the word because they are desperate. Fox definitely believed this to be their big summer blockbuster tentpole. Now that it is known that the workprint is the same edit as the theatrical release, they're going to lose money. People that saw the workprint, and hated it, will never pay to see it. The number of downloads is uncertain, but it's possibly five or six, maybe seven figures long. Those are millions of dollars lost. Others might not bother paying to see it based on an iffy, at best, word of mouth. They might try to download it illegally, or just not bother seeing it at all. This is the fear that any studio should have in this situation.

I don't so much want to see the film as see Sabretooth and Gambit, but is it worth sitting through all the bad to see a few fleeting good scenes of supporting characters? Not to mention, at $8-10 a ticket? I really doubt it. If I didn't have to pay, I would go see the film (i.e. free ticket or movie cash voucher), but I've already seen three X-Men films filled with poorly adapted / totally mishandled characters with botched up backstories in lackluster storylines. I don't need to see another one. I can't wait for Fox to slag off, letting the rights revert back to Marvel, and allow for a fresh re-boot, done right.

-NJM

[Apocalypto]

Amen. That's what I've been saying for years.

I'm expecting this to turn out better than the first three because it sounds like they may have done a halfway decent job with Wolverine and Sabretooth, but it really needs to be drastically better to be any good. Man will I ever have an ear to ear smile when these films finally get a reboot and get to start from scratch. It's been disastrously mis-handled from the start, and it'd be much easier to just start over then keep trying to fix something that's probably irreparably broken.

[Penhall]

I'll never understand why people would want to download unfinished workprint versions of movies. Or crappy quality "guy holding a camera in the theater" versions.

Maybe its because I'm a movie geek, but when I see a movie for the first time, especially a summer blockbuster, I want it to be in the theater. With excellent picture quailty and sound.

And honestly, why would anyone want to take the risk of being caught downloading this stuff? Its just not worth it, and I'll never understand people that do it. *shrugs*

I'll be seeing Wolverine opening weekend. Looks like a great flick.

[Darth Sinister]

Well, in the matter of the workprint, it depends on how much is cut out from the final release. I know from watching "Highlander: Endgame" that when a variation of a workprint was put out with the Producer's Cut DVD, it featured a different edit of the film, with more footage than was put out in the final versions. With an online release, you save yourself that money you spend sitting in a theater, if the film is crap. Likewise with the movie theater camcorder bootlegs, you pay less for it and don't have to sit in a theater with screaming kids, talking heads and cells going off.

[Rick]

So far the commercials are really misleading. I've seen two different commercials.
The first is Logan in the ring with The Blob.
The second starts off with Logan accidentally cutting up the farmer's bathroom and switches to Cyclops cutting the school in half wit his eyes.
Both make it look like a comedy.

[Penhall]

With an online release, you save yourself that money you spend sitting in a theater, if the film is crap. Likewise with the movie theater camcorder bootlegs, you pay less for it and don't have to sit in a theater with screaming kids, talking heads and cells going off.

Well if people don't want to spend money in the theater or deal with noisy crowds then wait for the damned thing to come to DVD...or on TV.

I'd be pretty pissed off if I directed a movie and millions of people downloaded it off the net for free instead going out and actually seeing it. And they are really starting to crack down on this kind of stuff, so people that do this are taking a huge risk.

[Darth Sinister]

Everyone takes risks in life. Minors still get ahold of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes. People do stupid stunts despite knowing the risks. It's life. Downloading illegal movies will not go away any time soon. They won't wait for the DVD or cable versions, when they can just watch it right now rather than wait six months to a year. I haven't downloaded the movie because I'm not a risk taker. Other people are. The only bootleg that I own is ROTS and that was given to me by a friend, after it got out. But when I got that, it was well after I had seen the film in theaters and paid for it. I watched it twice and haven't since getting it on DVD legally.

Bottom line is that the technology and the means are available and people will go for it. That's the price of advancing our lives.

[The Dark Vampire]

I'm going to see it tomorrow as the local cinema has an advanced screening

As for the DL I wouldn't bother myself I don't find anything wrong in doing it I just don't want to take the risk of getting caught doing it and then getting fined or getting sent down

[Just Jeans]

I'll never understand why people would want to download unfinished workprint versions of movies. Or crappy quality "guy holding a camera in the theater" versions.

It's not that hard to understand. Downloading crappy camp rips is cheaper than a night out at the cinema, and some people are willing to take a trade off in quality if the price is right.

[Penhall]

It's not that hard to understand. Downloading crappy camp rips is cheaper than a night out at the cinema, and some people are willing to take a trade off in quality if the price is right.

Again, I dont understand why people would want to watch a shitty version of a movie that they are seeing for the first time.

When I watch a movie, especially for the first time, I want to be able to see and hear it clearly. But yeah, some people dont care about that kind of stuff, so its fine.

I personally think downloading bootleg copies off the net is stupid, but thats just me. People are obviously free to do whatever they want.

[sam hane]

I saw the leaked version and I'll be seeing it in the theater Friday. Didn't ruin a thing for me.

[Just Jeans]

Again, I dont understand why people would want to watch a shitty version of a movie that they are seeing for the first time.

And again, it's because people are cheap. It's not a complicated notion. Some people just don't give a damn about quality.

[sam hane]

Also some people are impatient. I know a lot of people DL because they can't wait.

[Penhall]

And again, it's because people are cheap. It's not a complicated notion. Some people just don't give a damn about quality.

Well all right, thats true. People can do whatever they want to do. I personally would rather wait, but thats just me.

I'm merely expressing my personal opinion on the subject.... *shrugs*

[The Dark Vampire]

Well just got back from it and it was pretty good it wasn't great but it was pretty good I don't see where all the dislike for it has come from.

Oh and wait until after the credits there is another scene it's not a major or important scene though

[Apocalypto]

I saw a clip when Jackman was being interviewed on ABC this morning and it looked great. They appear to have absolutely nailed the Wolverine I loved as a kid and have wanted to see on the big screen all along.

I'm genuinally psyched to see if this turns out as good as it looks.

[The Dream Master]

With seemingly 392 mutants stuffed into a 97 minute running time, I have big concerns about how rushed this will end up feeling. I don't see how they can do such an epic story justice in that amount of time, but hey, I'll give it a shot I guess.

[Apocalypto]

Has there been any mention of an extended director's cut yet?
Or atleast talk about how much footage was cut?

[sam hane]

With seemingly 392 mutants stuffed into a 97 minute running time, I have big concerns about how rushed this will end up feeling. I don't see how they can do such an epic story justice in that amount of time, but hey, I'll give it a shot I guess.

I think they pulled it off rather well, I would have preferred more Gambit but that's just cause I'm a huge Gambit fan. I think they handled all the characters pretty well though. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. :D

[Just Jeans]

I think they handled all the characters pretty well though.

Even Deadpool? :eek:

[sam hane]

Even Deadpool? :eek:

Oh shit I forgot about him, I think they handled most of the characters pretty well.

[Rick]

I think they handled every character other then wolverine about as well as they handled them in the X-Men films.

[The Dream Master]

I think they handled every character other then wolverine about as well as they handled them in the X-Men films.

So, they kind of shoved them off and told them, "hey, go play in the corner while we focus on Wolverine?" :X

I really enjoy the X-Men movies (even the third one), but they did marginalize a lot of characters (primarily Cyclops).

[Rick]

So, they kind of shoved them off and told them, "hey, go play in the corner while we focus on Wolverine?" :X

I really enjoy the X-Men movies (even the third one), but they did marginalize a lot of characters (primarily Cyclops).

Yah, IMO that's right.
The characters are there and you know their names (usually, i had no idea that blond woman was supposed to be Emma Frost until I saw it in the commercials) but none of them have very much to do except Wolverine and Sabretooth.
I guess that makes more sense for this movie since it's actually called Wolverine, as opposed to the X-Men movies, which were movies about Wolverine first and foremost and were given the wrong title.

[The Dark Vampire]

I've just thought if there really are secret endings shouldn't we post what ending/s we saw to see if they are different

[sam hane]

I'm going to see this in about three hours with my nephew, who is 7...should be fun.

[Spook]

Wow, I watched this again. My opinion has changed pretty drastically. I originally thought this movie could be good (I watched the leaked version), and was awaiting the final product the make my final judgment. This movie sucks ass. First of all, they raped Deadpool. Like, seriously. They fucked him over so much. That was my gripe when I initially saw the film. Deadpool has been one of my fave characters from the Marvel universe. I think Wolverine is a WAAAAYYYYY overrated character, and he is one of my least favorite now after watching this steampile. I was never fond of the character to begin with, but I thought the film might be good.

Also, the finished effects didn't look any better than in the workprint. They just looked shitty, and really took me out of the film. One thing I really liked, though, was Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth. Perfect casting, imo. I really liked his look.

Overall, I give this a 5/10, and that's being generous.

[Rick]

Yah, they really ruined Deadpool. Of course IMO they sort of screwed up all of the characters, even Wolverine.
I used to think the character was awesome, but film version is nothing but a shell.

Why is it that other superhero movies can get it right with the characters (i'm thinking Spider-man as the best example) but they can't get the X-Men right.
For some reason the X-men were too goofy to translate to the screen faithfully from the source material (accoeding to Singer) but they took Ironman and Spidey and they kicked ass.

[Spook]

Also, another thing that really pissed me off was the ending.

It felt like they came up with it in like 30 seconds. Shooting him in the head with an adamantium bullet suddenly causes him to lose his memory? what the fuck ever. They could have thought of something much better than that.

[Rick]

Yah, that struck me the same way the end of Starwars Ep 3 did, a "buy the way moment," a couple lines to tenuously link it to the rest of the series.
Lame.
The bullets were adamantium so they could penetrate his skull, I guess that means that before the adamantium was added to his skeleton a regular bullet would have had the same effect. Good thing he apparently never took a bullet to the skull in all of the wars they showed him fighting in at the beginning.

[Apocalypto]

I think they handled every character other then wolverine about as well as they handled them in the X-Men films.

Oh dear God no...:eek:

Although as long as they nailed Wolverine and Sabretooth, even if everybody else is screwed up, I still may be satisfied.

[nottidelterrore]

I saw this today. I don't think it's absolute shit but it wasn't overly great either. It entertained me so it did its job. Deadpool was a joke but I did like the stuff with Wolverine & Sabretooth.

I'd say that I'd rank it at the bottom of the X-Men series with X-Men 3, which I did like.

[Penhall]

Why is it that other superhero movies can get it right with the characters (i'm thinking Spider-man as the best example) but they can't get the X-Men right.
For some reason the X-men were too goofy to translate to the screen faithfully from the source material (accoeding to Singer) but they took Ironman and Spidey and they kicked ass.

Well I thought the first 2 X-Men movies were pretty solid, especially Part 2.

I hope to see Wolverine this weekend, but my expectatiions are pretty low. I've heard almost nothing but bad about this flick....

[sam hane]

The theater I go see movies at usually is pretty empty for the first show on Friday, small town, even on blockbuster movies. I went today and it was packed, this movie is gonna make a bundle.

[Nick Michalak]

Okay, so I'm a hipocrit. I paid to see the movie, and for the most part, I did enjoy it. First gripe is just that Gambit's accent was nearly non-existent. He's supposed to be Cajun, and while there's an inflection there, it's very hard to pick up. I watched all the original 1990s cartoon, and so, that voice for Gambit is what I identify with. While the speech from the cartoon was rather stereotypical, I just expected a thicker accent, but Taylor Kitsch fits the look and does well with his limited screentime.

I'll agree that the CGI is second rate, and you can tell rather easily it is. Liev Shrieber, as expected, was an excellent Sabretooth. Absolutely everything I had hoped for, and absolutely everything Tyler Mane wasn't. Leaps and bounds superior. He & Jackman had excellent chemistry, and could carry a whole nother film together. Alas, Wade Wilson had such a fucking awesome introduction only to butcher him later on as Deadpool. Because I'm not such a hardcore fan of any of these characters, Gambit being about as close as it gets, I don't have as passionate of a reaction to the lesser aspects of the movie. So, I'm able to give it a somewhat more favorable score than otherwise. I'm throwing out a 3/5.

The film could've been a great deal better if they delved more into history that wasn't partially explored in the standard X-Men films (Stryker, Weapon X, etc.). It was okay, not approaching great, but entertaining and mostly worth my time. Worth $11 for the ticket? Not really, few films are nowadays. Will I buy the DVD? Not betting on it unless there's some slam bang extended director's cut or some can't miss special features.

And if there happen to be alternate "codas" to the film, mine was Wolverine at a bar talking with a Japanese female bartender (looks like Logan's wearing a Hawiian type blue shirt). She asks if he's American, he replies, "I'm Canadian....I think." She asks, "Are you drinking to forget?" "No, drinking to remember." Cut to black. Wikipedia states that the supposed Deadpool coda is described as follows: In some copies of the theatrical release, there is a post-credits scene in which Deadpool's hand is seen reaching for his severed head, at which point, he opens his eyes and breaks the fourth wall as he whispers to the audience, "Shhh..." Doesn't rectify the bastardization of the character, but it's a decent drop in the bucket moment, if real.

-NJM

[WOLF]

It made 35 million on Friday.

I thought it was pretty average. The special effects aren't very good, so I'm not sure where all the money went (Jackman?). It seemed the actors were always in front of a green screen.

I have never read Xmen comics, so I don't know anything about Deadpool. Sabretooth was good (unlike the first Xmen).

Wolverine isn't even close to what Xmen 2 was. But for somebody who doesn't know much about the comics, it's OK.


This is the best scene from the move:
http://www.geekstir.com/x-men-origins-wolverine-meets-teen-wolf

[The Dream Master]

I saw this today. I don't think it's absolute shit but it wasn't overly great either. It entertained me so it did its job. Deadpool was a joke but I did like the stuff with Wolverine & Sabretooth.

I'd say that I'd rank it at the bottom of the X-Men series with X-Men 3, which I did like.

Pretty much how I feel about it too.

It's a lot like the first three X-Men movies in that, if you can ignore the drastic changes made to many of the characters (especially Deadpool, who they really, really cocked up), you can enjoy it a bit. I don't think it was as good as the first three movies (even part 3) because it just seemed to be lacking something. The whole thing felt a bit too rushed, and none of the characters (save for the elderly couple that take Logan in at one point) are really that compelling. Schreiber and Jackman really hold the whole thing together--if the film were in the hands of two less capable leads, I think it would have been even more of a mess. I actually would have liked to have been able to see more of the wars they were involved in instead of just establishing in in the opening credits.

[nottidelterrore]

I absolutely loved the opening credits of the film with Wolverine & Sabretooth going through the various wars. And with each war, it seemed Victor got more & more brutal. I liked that quite a bit.

I loved the kindly elderly couple too who helped out Wolverine during his naked time. I didn't see it coming when Zero picked them off.

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, that's the thing--I really did like the opening credits, but I would have liked to have seen some of that shit a bit more. Not sure how they could have pulled that off though.

[The Dark Vampire]

I loved the kindly elderly couple too who helped out Wolverine during his naked time. I didn't see it coming when Zero picked them off. Really as soon as they took him in I knew they would end up dead in crossfire or something in an attempt to capture Wolverine

[sam hane]

Really as soon as they took him in I knew they would end up dead in crossfire or something in an attempt to capture Wolverine

I think he meant the manner in which it happened I wasn't expecting them to get shot like that, I actually jumped when the woman got it through the window

[The Dark Vampire]

I think he meant the manner in which it happened I wasn't expecting them to get shot like that, I actually jumped when the woman got it through the window

TBH that's when I was most expecting it I knew she'd never get the tray to them alive I knew something was going to happen

[Cody]

Sorry, Wolvie. Your movie's not very good. :(

[Apocalypto]

Yah, they really ruined Deadpool. Of course IMO they sort of screwed up all of the characters, even Wolverine.
I used to think the character was awesome, but film version is nothing but a shell.

Why is it that other superhero movies can get it right with the characters (i'm thinking Spider-man as the best example) but they can't get the X-Men right.
For some reason the X-men were too goofy to translate to the screen faithfully from the source material (accoeding to Singer) but they took Ironman and Spidey and they kicked ass.

He thinks the X-Men are "goofy"...just when I thought I couldn't have less respect for that guy as a filmmaker.

[Nick Michalak]

Another reason why I would like to punch Bryan Singer square in the face. Guy didn't believe in the material he was adapting in the first place. Really explains the mountains of bullshit errors that were made doing it.

-NJM

[Apocalypto]

I also know that he outright stated "I was never a fan of comics," and it showed.

[DouglasJ]

Just got back from this. I didn't think it was awful, but not to great either. I've got nothing really to add to what's already been said. The whole Deadpool thing sucked.

Also, Brian Cox > Danny Huston.

I know the Stryker character is meant to be x number of years younger - but with Jackman noticeably older than in the first X-Men, couldn't they have just thrown some black in his hair and let that be that

[Darth Sinister]

It was Tom DeSanto who helped convince Bryan Singer to do the first film. This then lead Singer to approach it the way he did. He was never going for a direct adaptation. Just the generalities.

[Apocalypto]

I thought it was decent, better than the X-Men flicks. Wolverine and Sabretooth were handled well enough to carry the film, and the action scenes are better.

Far from a great X-Men movie, but I'll take the first tolerable one over another terrible one.

[Rick]

I would much rather them have had the final fight between Wolverine and Sabretooth. It would have made a lot more sense IMO.

[Apocalypto]

They had a sort of sibling rivalry love/hate type of relationship, so I thought it worked the way it was. Plus we'd already seen them fight 1 on 1 several times.

[Nick Michalak]

I also know that he outright stated "I was never a fan of comics," and it showed.
Singer's also known to have said that "comic books are unintelligent literature." This was when he initially turned down directing "X-Men" the first time it was offered. Overall, he turned it down three times before actually bothering to read some of the comics and watch the animated series. He cared less about the characters and really more about the themes of prejudice (obviously stemming from his sexual orientation). I just find it terribly disrespectful that someone who really never had any attachment to the source material thought he was the right guy to adapt it to the screen. Not to mention, a guy who really didn't give a rat's ass about it to begin with who had to be hounded four times to actually give it half a chance.

-NJM

[The Dream Master]

I still have to say that regardless of the man's feelings about his subject material, he made two damn fine films. Are they the exact, ideal X-Men films I would like to have seen? Not exactly, but I do appreciate the thematic weight and the overall well-made quality of those films. I think it's very obvious that he did care a lot about the product he put out there, regardless of how "at odds" it was with hardcore fans of the franchise. I just watched the first one again the other night, and it still holds up after nine years (can't believe it's been that long). Sure, many of the characters could have been better written (Cyclops, Jean) and better casted (Storm), but the main pieces really work together and act as a great vehicle for the allegory of prejudice that the comics were always meant to be.

[Rick]

I still think that wolverine fighting his most dangerous and oldest foe should have been the route to go for his origin flick, but regardless we got what we got.

On another note the "mystery ending". When the credits started to roll they stopped after a few seconds and we got another scene, Stryker walking down the road with his shoes falling apart and looking bloodied, a military vehicle pulls up and one of the occupants calls his name. Stryker stops and the officer tells him he's being detained for questioning in the death of the general who tried to pull the plug on the WeaponX program. Was this scene attached to all of the prints?
Then after the credits finished there was one final scene, Deadpool's hand, the sword blade is retracted and he reaches for his own head which open's it's eyes (I guess his eye lids grew back) and looks at the camera and makes a "shhh" noise (apparently his mouth reopened at some point too).

ADDED: Standing around the theatre lobby after the movie let out the most vocal opinion I heard about the movie was that it was O.K. I didn't hear a single person say it was anything beyond good.
A lot of people talking about what they should have done instead of complimenting what they did.

[The Dream Master]

Rick, the Stryker scene is on every print of the film. The Deadpool ending is one of two endings you got to see depending on which print you saw. My print had Wolverine in a Japanese bar, where he tells the bartender that he's "drinking to remember" instead of "drinking to forget."

[i am SAW]

$87 million this weekend, i guess it leaking out on the internet didn't hurt it any.

[Rich]

First off I must say that I am a reader of the classic X-Men comics (in graphic novel form) and I was never truely fond of the X-Men films. I am a huge fan of the Wolverine character in particular though. When it was announced that they were making a film based soley on Wolverine (which is what the X-Men films pretty much were also) I was absolutely excited.

After seeing the new film, I think it was absolutely the best X-Men film in the entire series of films. It was absolutely brilliant. Jackman really pulled off the performace as he has made the character his own over the years. The story line was very tight and the fight scenes were incredible. The story also really had moments that broke your heart. Wolverine is THE ass kickin' bad ass mother fucker (can I say that on this board?) that he is in the comic books in this film. I absolutely loved it! After this film, I can see Borders selling out of all of their Wolverine graphic novels quickly.

[Darth Sinister]

Singer's also known to have said that "comic books are unintelligent literature." This was when he initially turned down directing "X-Men" the first time it was offered. Overall, he turned it down three times before actually bothering to read some of the comics and watch the animated series. He cared less about the characters and really more about the themes of prejudice (obviously stemming from his sexual orientation). I just find it terribly disrespectful that someone who really never had any attachment to the source material thought he was the right guy to adapt it to the screen. Not to mention, a guy who really didn't give a rat's ass about it to begin with who had to be hounded four times to actually give it half a chance.

-NJM

Tim Burton had no love and he made two Batman films that made a good deal of money, with one earning strong praise. Kenneth Johnson was even less of a fan of comics, but he made a television series that became part of pop culture with the Hulk.

[Apocalypto]

I still have to say that regardless of the man's feelings about his subject material, he made two damn fine films. Are they the exact, ideal X-Men films I would like to have seen? Not exactly, but I do appreciate the thematic weight and the overall well-made quality of those films. I think it's very obvious that he did care a lot about the product he put out there, regardless of how "at odds" it was with hardcore fans of the franchise. I just watched the first one again the other night, and it still holds up after nine years (can't believe it's been that long). Sure, many of the characters could have been better written (Cyclops, Jean) and better casted (Storm), but the main pieces really work together and act as a great vehicle for the allegory of prejudice that the comics were always meant to be.

The handling of the prejudice themes was fine, but it doesn't excuse the films for a bunch of paper thin versions of the characters that gutted them of everything that made me love them growing up.

He didn't show me how much he cared, he simply showed me what a bland, point and shoot filmmaker he is. Anybody could've directed the X-Men films he did with the same budgets and minimal effort.

The X-Men films that he made don't even hold up well enough for me to watch them for more than a half hour anymore without getting bored and/or annoyed.

I think he's a hack, plain and simple, and he drove this franchise through the ground like a railroad spike. His lack of passion toward the material was almost as obvious as his overall lack of talent.

The depictions of Sabretooth and Wolverine in this film are shining examples of just what a lackluster filmmaker he is.
ADDED:
Tim Burton had no love and he made two Batman films that made a good deal of money.

And were also terrible, especially the first one.
ADDED:
I still think that wolverine fighting his most dangerous and oldest foe should have been the route to go for his origin flick, but regardless we got what we got.

That's just is though, Deadpool is far more dangerous than Sabreooth or any other one mutant.

[The Dream Master]

I don't want to speak for Rick, but I personally don't think it shouldn't have had the Deadpool angle in the first place. As this is Wolverine's origin story, I didn't really see the need in it becoming "X-Men 0" by throwing in mutants and having Wolverine essentially save the day.

I expected something a bit more intimate (yet, at the same time, a bit more epic and sweeping in story and scope). I think Jackman has talked about a sequel picking up where one of the post-credits sequences leave off: in Japan. I'd love to see that, as the "Wolverine in Japan" storyline that Claremont did was great. I was actually expecting it to be in this film.. If they do end up making that film, I hope it focuses more on Wolverine rather than throwing in a bunch of characters that I don't care about like this recent one did. Save for Gambit, none of them (even Deadpool) were particularly memorable.

I mean, you say that Singer's X-Men movies had paper-thin characters that were devoid of what made you like them in the first place, but I think the Wolverine movie was just as guilty of this. I mean, the Blob wasn't the Blob that I know and love--same for Deadpool. I do think they got Gambit sort of right, though--I'd love to see him show up in a fourth proper X-Men film.

And I think Singer's passion and care for his films is very evident--they're very well put together with obvious thought put into them. I don't think the same can be said for the Wolverine film, which just seems rushed and slapped together at times. Of course, that could be the fault of Fox instead of Hood himself, so I'll perhaps reserve judgment until a potential Director's Cut is released.

[Apocalypto]

Oh Wolverine is guilty of it too, but atleast it nailed Sabretooth and Wolverine.

I think that Singer's films got Xavier and Magneto right, and screwed up nearly everybody else. Ratner's film did a better job with Wolverine and Storm than Singer's did; and Beast in that film was better than any member of the team in Singer's.

I don't think Wolverine is a really good X-Men film either, it's just a halfway decent one, which is more than I got from Mr. Singer. I don't thinkhis fils had much thought going into them at all, and they're not well put together. They're poorly written and directed and pretty bare minimum across the board. A film as mediocre as the new Wolverine film is the best of the series so far is a testament to how poorly executed these films were from the start.

Half hour eps of the animated series handled this material with far more care than Singer's hackneyed trash ever did.

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, I think X-Men 3 finally gave Jean something to do there too besides "be Cyclops's girlfriend." Unlike most fans, I actually enjoy 3 about as much as I enjoy the first one because it did have some great character moments sprinkled in there with Storm, Iceman, and Kitty. Its biggest problem is really the Wolverine film's biggest problem: too many mutants and too rushed at times. I feel like both of those films could use an extra half hour at least, though I think Wolverine's third act needs to be entirely reworked to be something different than something you'd see in a proper X-Men film.

One thing that irked me in Wolverine is that he finally dropped the "I'm the best I am at what I do, and what I do isn't very nice line," which is all well and good...except we never really see that. In my mind, we still haven't seen the best incarnation of Wolverine on the screen yet. I actually liked that they were setting up a moral conflict between Creed and Logan, but it just seemed to go nowhere and was instead discarded for "Wolverine wants revenge and gets caught in a conspiracy."

[andrew8798]

I saw the movie tonight I liked it

[Rich]

I want to see Wolverine Vs. The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man vs. The Incredible Hulk as live action epics, both based on The Ultimates.

[Cody]

Samurai Sequel (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003176.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)

Hugh Jackman and Seed Productions partner John Palermo are ramping up several projects for the "Wolverine" star.

Fox and Seed are in development on a sequel to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which topped the domestic box office over the weekend.

The Seed partners have begun planning the sequel, which they are squarely focusing on the samurai storyline originated in the comic series, and whose Japanese locale was teased after the film's final credits. A writer has yet to be hired. Seed will produce.

[The Dark Vampire]

I wonder if it will crossover with the Magneto Origins and the X-Men: First Class movies I can see Wolverine at least getting a cameo in them

[The Dream Master]

Fuck right. I hope the next one will straight up be Wolverine in Japan. Get Silver Samurai involved, make it a good, focused character piece, and call it a day. Or just fuggin' adapt the old Wolverine in Japan stories that Claremont did.

[Dave Dunwoody]

Thought this was a huge clusterfuck. I'm not a huge Wolverine fan but the tragedy of his beginnings - the point of the movie, supposedly - wasn't done justice. I don't mean the fact that they fast forwarded through the first couple centuries - didn't mind that - but it felt like everything was given the Cliffs Notes treatment. There was no emotion (other than the worst "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" since Vader).

[i am SAW]

don't know anything about the comic books, only saw the X-Men movies one time each, with X2 being the best. Magneto was always my favorite character, Wolverine never impressed me that much. with that said, i watched Wolverine last night and thought it was great, real fun movie.

[Nick Michalak]

Since you brought up Magneto....I was watching much of the first three X-Men films, and I really think Magneto wasn't done as well as he should be. In the films, he's only concerned with revenge on everyone. Making everyone pay for everything like some narrow minded, dense villain. The Magneto in the comics has a much broader range of motivations, emotions, and visions. He's much more of an inspirational leader, but is a more aggressive one than Xavier. Their methods differ, but both want the same results. He's been a proactive protector and spokesperson for mutantkind willing to take extreme measures on their behalf, but his motivations don't tend to be as self-serving as they are in the films. Most of what Magneto does in the films only serve his personal gratification, and do very little to serve the mutant cause. Basically, Ian McKellen's Magneto is a terrorist. Willing to kill anyone who is not a mutant just because they are not a mutant. Granted, I'm not fully up on my Magneto history, but that's what I've gained from what I've taken in.

-NJM

[Just Jeans]

Okay, so I still haven't seen this and know only what I've read on here about it, and while the film doesn't sound all that great... my God, the PS3 tie-in game is fun as hell. It's not a perfect game, but I've played the demo a couple of times today. The action is an insane level of over the top, it's all very cinematic, and it's gory as hell. I've never seen this kind of gore in a game (or film for that matter) that features Wolverine. You can decapitate people, trisect them, cut them in half at the waist, and Wolverine takes damage in real time. In the cut scenes, there's been shots of Wolverine where you can see his internal workings.

I take it that the film isn't anywhere nearly as violent (or awesome) as this game looks to be?

[jasonlives13]

Okay, so I still haven't seen this and know only what I've read on here about it, and while the film doesn't sound all that great... my God, the PS3 tie-in game is fun as hell. It's not a perfect game, but I've played the demo a couple of times today. The action is an insane level of over the top, it's all very cinematic, and it's gory as hell. I've never seen this kind of gore in a game (or film for that matter) that features Wolverine. You can decapitate people, trisect them, cut them in half at the waist, and Wolverine takes damage in real time. In the cut scenes, there's been shots of Wolverine where you can see his internal workings.

I take it that the film isn't anywhere nearly as violent (or awesome) as this game looks to be?

I like how when you get injured in the game you pan the camera around and you can see him being healed, I thought that was awesome

[Scarecrow]

Since you brought up Magneto....I was watching much of the first three X-Men films, and I really think Magneto wasn't done as well as he should be. In the films, he's only concerned with revenge on everyone. Making everyone pay for everything like some narrow minded, dense villain. The Magneto in the comics has a much broader range of motivations, emotions, and visions. He's much more of an inspirational leader, but is a more aggressive one than Xavier. Their methods differ, but both want the same results. He's been a proactive protector and spokesperson for mutantkind willing to take extreme measures on their behalf, but his motivations don't tend to be as self-serving as they are in the films. Most of what Magneto does in the films only serve his personal gratification, and do very little to serve the mutant cause. Basically, Ian McKellen's Magneto is a terrorist. Willing to kill anyone who is not a mutant just because they are not a mutant. Granted, I'm not fully up on my Magneto history, but that's what I've gained from what I've taken in.

-NJM

But he doens't *want* to kill anyone in the first film, his scheme is to mutate all the wrlds leaders so that they will udnerstand their plight and cause real change. its stated, he doens't know his machine is ultimatly deadly.


- Scarecrow

[The Dark Vampire]

But he doens't *want* to kill anyone in the first film,

Well you could argue he passed his power to Rouge because he knew it could/would kill him so he may not of wanted to kill her but he was willing to sacrifice her life rather than his own

[Darth Sinister]

Rogue was a sacrifice which is how he justified her involvement. Magneto will kill a Mutant if he deems it necessary. He will kill non-Mutants for the same reasons. As noted in the first film, he wasn't about revenge so much as leveling the playing field. In the second film, it was about revenge on Stryker in particular. He only altered Cerebo because he wanted to protect the Mutants from the Flatscans, since the government was interested in killing them. In the third film, he is only after the X-Men because of the cure. He's not pleased about the cure and having Phoenix would make it easier to go through the X-Men, to deal with it.

[Alex DeLarge]

I do think it would've been stronger for him as a character if Magneto himself would have willingly sacrificed himself to get a mutant world, but I guess they could've had a movie if not for Rogue being kidnapped.

[Apocalypto]

But he doens't *want* to kill anyone in the first film, his scheme is to mutate all the wrlds leaders so that they will udnerstand their plight and cause real change. its stated, he doens't know his machine is ultimatly deadly.


- Scarecrow

Yeah, but in the second movie he basically tries to kill about 90% of the worlds population...

I see what Nick is saying, but as displeased as I may be with the films, I still think Magneto was a very strong character.

I think he meant well, but just had horrible methods...sort of like Jigsaw on a more grand scale. I do think that he firmly believed everything he said about what he was doing being for the good of their entire race, but he viewed himself as more important to the cause than those he was using as pawns because he was the leader of the movement (ie. sacrificing Rogue istead of himself). He did basically end up becoming a terrorist, but he didn't see himself that way, maybe not exactly the same character from the comics, but still a compelling character.
The problem with most of the characters in the films, imo, isn't only that they aren't precisely the same people I remembered from the comics, it's that they're just very bland and 1-D. The fact that I find them to be bland, 1-D characters that are based on great characters only makes it that much worse.