Wolverine Carves Out May '09 Release

Thu., Oct. 18, 2007 4:05 PM PDT by Josh Grossberg

Fox is sending out a May Day for Wolverine.

The studio on Thursday confirmed it has set a May 1, 2009 release date for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the much buzzed about spinoff featuring Hugh Jackman's hirsute hero in a solo adventure.

Meanwhile, according to Variety, Liev Schreiber, who appeared opposite Jackman in the 2001 fantasy romance "Kate & Leopold," is in final talks to play a younger incarnation of Wolverine nemesis William Stryker. Brian Cox essayed the role in 2003's X2: X-Men United.

Taking his cue from the original Marvel Comic, writer David Benioff (Troy, The Kite Runner) will follow the tough-talking, cigar-chomping Logan as he struggles to unlock his mysterious past and avenge the death of his girlfriend at the hands of Victor Creed, who will eventually become the supervillain Sabertooth.

Along the way, the film will also detail how Logan came to be in Stryker's secret Weapon X program, where Logan was left with a skeletal frame fused with the indestructible metal adamantium that gave him superhuman strength, healing powers and three retractable metal claws on each hand.

He'll also meet other mutants, although it remains unknown whether that will include any of his X-Men pals such as Professor Charles Xavier, Cyclops, Storm or longtime crush Jean Grey.

One new mutant who seems destined for a big-screen appearance is Gambit, a reformed thief who hails from New Orleans and speaks with a thick Cajun drawl. His special powers include making inanimate objects explode at will, charging playing cards with kinetic energy and hurling them as deadly weapons, and superior martial-arts abilities.

Gavin Hood, whose directing credits include 2005's award-winning Tsotsi and the political drama Rendition, hitting theaters this Friday, will take the reins on Wolverine.

The would-be blockbuster is slated to begin shooting later this year at Fox's studio complex in Australia, before moving on to New Zealand and then wrapping up in New Orleans.

Jackman and his partner John Palermo will coproduce Wolverine through their Seed Productions shingle, along with veterans Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, who produced the original X-Men trilogy. Executive producing will be Marvel's Kevin Feige.

Before he can grow out his sideburns again, Jackman must first finish work on Baz Luhrmann's romantic saga Australia, with Nicole Kidman. The 37-year-old actor is also executive producing and guest-starring on the new CBS series Viva Laughlin, which debuts Thursday at 10 p.m.

Wolverine will anchor what Fox hopes is a huge summer.

The studio will unleash James Cameron's 3-D sci-fi epic Avatar May 22, followed by Ice Age 3 July 1.

Given the first three X-Men movies grossed an uncanny $1 billion worldwide, Fox has been looking for ways to expand the franchise.

Besides Wolverine, the studio is also developing a film centered on Magneto, the X-Men antagonist played by Ian McKellen. The origin story will tell how the young mutant comes to grips with his metallic-attracting powers during the Holocaust and his quest for vengeance against both his Nazi captors and antimutant factions.

David Goyer, who penned Blade: Trinity and Batman Begins, is slated to helm that project, which will likely feature Magneto and Professor X played by actors in their 20s. No word yet on a cast or a release date.