We're not that far away from The Wolverine clawing its way into theaters, and yet we've still seen little from it other than a few photos of Hugh Jackman. The film seems to be flying under the radar a little bit, interesting considering its just as much a Marvel movie as Iron Man 3. We know the gist of the story, with Logan finding himself in Japan at his lowest point, finding romance and old enemies bent on destroying him.
There are a number of questions still in the air, most of which involving the film's placement in the larger X-men universe. Rumors have Famke Janssen popping up for a cameo, and the story is said to take place after the events of X-men: The Last Stand. But how long after? James Mangold spoke to EW and reveals the Logan we catch up with won't be tied down by his past ties to the X-men....
Mangold: "I felt it was really important to find Logan at a moment where he was stripped clean of his duties to the X-Men, his other allegiances, and even stripped clean of his own sense of purpose. I was fascinated with the idea of portraying Logan as a ronin – the definition of which is a samurai without a master, without a purpose. Kind of a soldier who is cut loose. War is over. What does he do? What does he face? What does he believe anymore? Who are his friends? What is his reason for being here anymore? I think those questions are especially interesting when you’re dealing with a character who is essentially immortal."
The story is merely based in part on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's seminal comic, not a direct adaptation. Many of the same characters from the story do appear, such as Yukio, Silver Samurai, Lord Shingen, and Logan's true love, Mariko Yashida.
Mangold: "What I wrote on the back of the script when I first read it was 'Everyone I love will die'. The story I’ve been telling, he enters it believing that. Therefore he’s living in a kind of isolation. He gets drawn to Japan by an old friendship and then finds himself in a labyrinth of deceit, caught up in the agendas of mobsters, of wealth, and other powers we come to understand... You find Logan and his love is gone, his mentors are gone, many of his friends are gone, his own sense of purpose – what am I doing, why do I bother – and his exhaustion is high. He has lived a long time, and he’s tired. He’s tired of the pain."
Man of Steel and The Wolverine sound like they could be very similar in tone, which should be perfect for a director like Mangold. We'll see how it turns out on July 26th.
