It’s been quite a bumpy ride so far for The Wolverine, the second solo film starring a certain mutant with hairy healing powers. With director Darren Aronofsky jumping ship and handing over the adamantium-laced responsibility to James Mangold, fans have been left to wonder just how authentic this sequel will keep things, when Logan goes native in Japan.
With this new bit of casting news, the answer is “very”.
First off, The Wolverine has found his villain, in the form of Will Yun Lee, who will be portraying the Silver Samurai on the silver screen next year. We’re talking about this guy, in case you didn’t read as many comics as we did.
Coming Soon then revealed that Hiroyuki “Rush Hour 3” Sanada, Hal “Push” Yamanouchi have also been cast, as Shingen and elderly gangster Yashida, respectively.
Japanese models Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima will round the cast out, with Okamoto playing Wolvie love interest Mariko, and Fukushima strapping on some shurikens as ninja assassin Yukio.
Plot details are still rarer than an X-gene at this point, but with the casting going Japanese, expect the original Chris Claremont and Frank Miller Wolverine story to form the basis of the film, although how much of that will be adapted, is still an unknown.
With the star himself, Hugh Jackman now having completed his work on the upcoming musical Les Miserables, The Wolverine is scheduled to begin filming next month in Japan and Australia, for a 2013 release.
Last Updated: July 10, 2012
Erwin Kempff
July 10, 2012 at 10:59
Hugh Jackman is a bloody legend!