A third solo film starring the character of Wolverine is on the way, according to The Wolverine director James Mangold. In a tweet responding to a fan (captured by Digital Spy), Mangold confirmed that the plan is to begin shooting after the completion of X-Men: Apocalypse, which is currently slated for a 2016 release.
Of course, this is all still very much in the planning stages at the moment, and several things have to happen first before a third Wolvie movie hits the big screens. First, the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, which hits theaters on May 23, needs to be a box office success. Based on the popularity of the property and the performance of the past movies though (a few of which were not “well received,” a polite way of saying they were bad films), Days of Future Past is likely to be a box office hit no matter what.
20th Century Fox also seems to have enough confidence in the upcoming movie and the franchise that Days of Future Past is said to directly lead into the next film, X-Mean: Apocalypse. Director Bryan Singer announced that he would begin work on the sequel shortly after the release of Days of Future Past, and would aim for a May 27, 2016 release date.
According to Mangold, he would then begin work on a follow-up to 2013’s The Wolverine, which starred Hugh Jackman, though there may be a complication with that as well. Jackman has said that he has not yet committed to any future X-Men films, and Days of Future Past may be is final appearance as Wolverine. This could be in part a negotiating tactic, but the actor recently said he feels there is an “expiry date” on his playing the character.
If Jackman does decide to retire from the character Fox probably wouldn’t hesitate to recast the role, but the 45-year old actor has appeared as Wolverine seven times including the upcoming X-Men film. Losing him may be a setback for the proposed solo film.
