Writer hired for "Wolverine 2"

Source: Slashfilm.com

Christopher McQuarrie has signed on to pen the screenplay for a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This comes as no surprise, especially considering the film grossed over $158 million worldwide on opening weekend.

Hugh Jackman has said that a sequel will loosely follow the early 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller comic book miniseries, where Logan journeys to Japan and attempts to cool his killer instincts, and trains to live life under the samurai’s code of honor and respect. The storyline was also hinted at in one of the film’s after-credits easter egg endings which showed Logan drinking in a Japanese bar. Seed Productions is producing with Jackman, who would also star again as Wolverine.

Slumdog Millionaire screenwriter Simon Beaufoy had mentioned during an appearance at the Bradford International Film Festival that he had been approached to pen a second film, but no deal was reportedly made. Jackman also recently confessed to MTV that he’s been talking to writers about a storyline for the second film, although it was never made clear who these writers were.

Christopher McQuarrie shot to fame with his screenplay for The Usual Suspects. He has since reteamed with Bryan Singer on X-Men and Valkyrie, and made his directorial debut in 2000 with The Way of the Gun. So McQuarrie has written for Wolverine previously, although the screenwriter voluntarily took his name off X-Men because he felt the final product was more of a result of David Hayter’s drafts than his own. McQuarrie has had a lot of screenplays in development over the last decade, but not many of them have gone into production.

McQuarrie has commonly worked with Bryan Singer in the past, and producer Lauren Shuler Donner has hinted that she would like to get Singer back to direct one of the X-Men spin-off films. At the time of her comments, most people speculated that Gambit would be the only title to draw Singer back, but what about Wolverine? Jackman and Singer have a great working relationship, and the pieces are falling together just right.

It makes sense that Jackman wants to explore Wolverine’s Japanese saga, because it would truly bring a superhero story someplace we haven’t seen before on the big screen. Jackman is enthusiastic of seeing his “anarchic character, the outsider, being in this world — I can see it aesthetically, too — full of honor and tradition and customs and someone who’s really anti-all of that, and trying to negotiate his way.” And lets not forget the Samurai fights.

"Wolverine 2" confirmed; Logan heads to Japan

I actually wouldn't mind seeing this...as long as it isn't psychotically over-edited/rushed as "Wolverine". I actually wouldn't mind having Gavin Hood back as director...but please, can we get the X-Men franchise away from 20th Century Fox? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaasee...

Source: Firstshowing.net

Question of the Day: Are you more excited to see a G.I. Joe sequel or a Wolverine sequel? Let me remind you that the next Wolverine movie will see Logan venturing to Japan for some samurai training and Eastern philosophy. MTV caught up with Hugh Jackman recently at the Teen Choice Awards and talked briefly about the sequel, confirming pretty much what we already know. "Japan is where we're heading, [and] we're starting to work on it now. We're in the… first steps of developing that story." It was confirmed back in May after X-Men Origins: Wolverine opened that they'd be heading to Japan, so that's not big news.

"I think the fans love that saga. It's my favorite saga of the Wolverine stories," Jackman says. "That's a movie I've longed to make from the beginning, so that's where we're heading." After that movie hit earlier this summer, despite scathing reviews, most people seemed open to the idea of seeing Wolverine head to Japan because it was actually a good storyline. Frank Miller and Chris Claremont introduced the story arc where Logan heads to Japan back in 1990 in Wolverine #1-4. I think it's a great idea and I'm excited for this sequel. Now they just need to find a better writer and director - why doesn't Jackman announce them yet?

Not surprising: 'Wolverine 2' gets the "go-ahead"

Although with all of these other potential projects and the return to Broadway, it's amazing to think that Jackman will find time to do it....

Source: Variety

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.

Fox has just closed a deal to acquire "Personal Security," a spec script by Matt Lieberman. Jackman will star as a tough Gotham police detective forced into bodyguard duty for a spoiled teen heiress who is receiving kidnapping threats. Jackman and Palermo will produce with Tapestry's Michael Schreiber.

While Jackman has not set his next star vehicle, he has gotten revved up over"Drive," a Seed-produced adaptation of the James Sallis novel set up atUniversal.

Jackman will play a solitary man who drives race cars by day and getaway cars by night in Los Angeles. Jackman was energized by the latest draft written byHossein Amini, who turned in a script that Jackman said captured the tone of aSteve McQueen film.

Long-in-the-works "Carousel" is also now a priority at Fox 2000, after David Magee turned in a script that Jackman and Palermo said keeps the timeless spirit of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, but injects relevance for a contemporary audience. Jackman will play Billy Bigelow. On Jackman's wishlist for the role of Julie Jordan is Anne Hathaway, who dueted with him in the Oscarcast opening number. Negotiations have not begun with the actress.

Finally, Jackman, who won a Tony for "The Boy From Oz," hopes to return to the Broadway stage in early 2010 in the title role in "Houdini," with Jack O'Brien ("Hairspray") directing, Danny Elfman writing the music, andDavid Yazbek ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels") writing lyrics. The book was first written by Kurt Andersen, but the producers are aiming for a rewrite. Jackman and Palermo will produce with Scott Sanders and David Rockwell.

The Fox-based Seed label has grown in size to include execs Amanda Schweitzer, Kathryn Tamblyn, Allan Mandelbaum and Joe Marino, with Alan Free operating the Sydney-based production office whose goal is to mount modest-budget films to harness local talent in Jackman's home country.