Attention X-Men fans and anyone who enjoys seeing Hugh Jackman in tortured animal mode. Twentieth Century Fox has graced the web with the official trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The prequel is set to arrive in theaters on May 1, 2009. Those who can’t wait that long to see Logan in action can catch the Nicktoons premiere of the new animated series Wolverine and the X-Men launching in primetime on January 23.
Based on Marvel’s long-running X-Men comic-book series, Wolverine will take place 17 years before the events in the first X-Men movie, which director Bryan Singer brought to the screen in 2000. Prior to that, the comic property had been adapted for television with a 1992 Fox Kids animated series co-produced by Marvel Ent. and Saban Ent. Marvel later teamed with animation house Film Roman for the 2000 toon series X-Men: Evolution.
As the title suggests, the Wolverine movie will focus on the origin of the popular character, a truck driver whose bones are altered by a metallic substance in a medical experiment led by William Stryker, played by Brian Cox in X2: X-Men United. Danny Huston (30 Days of Night) plays a slightly younger version of the character in the new film, which is directed by Gavin Hood (Rendition, Tsotsi). Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) has been cast as Gambit, a Cajun thief with kinetic powers and a penchant for throwing cards with deadly accuracy, while will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas takes on the role of Wraith, who can make himself translucent. Lynn Collins (The Number 23) shows up Wolverine’s love interest, a mutant named Kayla Silverfox, and Ryan Reynolds (Blade: Trinity) returns to the Marvel universe in a cameo role playing wisecracking mercenary Deadpool. In addition, Liev Schreiber (The Omen) bares fangs and butts heads with Logan as Victor Creed, a.k.a. Sabretooth. Watch the fur fly at www.myspace.com/x-menorigins.
