Marvel Studios Is Reportedly Developing Several Mutant Projects Including a Standalone Wolverine Film
Marvel Studios looks to be laying the groundwork for a full-blown mutant takeover in the MCU, and it sounds like the upcoming X-Men reboot might be only the beginning.
While the studio has kept everything officially under wraps, new reporting suggests mutants are about to play a much bigger role in the next era of Marvel storytelling, and yes, that includes Wolverine.
As has been previously reported, Marvel’s X-Men reboot is slowly coming together. Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is attached to direct, with Michael Lesslie handling the script. Casting is reportedly underway, though so far it’s been nothing but rumors, speculation, and wish lists from fans.
Once Avengers: Secret Wars wraps up the Multiverse Saga, the belief is Marvel will pivot into what many are calling “The Mutant Saga.” If the latest scoop is accurate, Marvel is jumping in headfirst.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, “Marvel is developing a Wolverine project and multiple mutant-focused projects for the next saga, not just an X-Men reboot.”
That lines up with chatter we’ve been hearing for a while. A standalone Wolverine movie has reportedly been in early development for some time now, but the biggest question remains: who’s wearing the claws?
Hugh Jackman is back as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine, but it’s hard to imagine Marvel building the future of the franchise solely around his version of the character. There’s also been consistent talk that Dafne Keen could return as Laura, aka X-23, and eventually step into the Wolverine role herself.
Keen was asked about her potential future in the MCU during a previously interview, including the possibility of teaming up with Jackman again. She said:
“I would like to see her in a fun team-up. I would also love to see Laura in smaller stories as well. I enjoyed playing her in Logan, which was much more grittier. So that's fun...But I'd also be very, very open to a big whole action fight team up with the Avengers.”
She also made it clear she’d be more than happy to share the screen with Logan again. She added: “Well, can we both [Laura and Logan] be there? Yeah? OK, good. If we're both there, I'd be really happy.”
It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the studio leans into both characters rather than choosing one outright.
Schreier recently spoke with Empire and offered a small but intriguing update on where things stand with X-Men. “I can’t say anything about it, but we’ve started work on X-Men, and that’s obviously very, very exciting. There are so many things that I didn’t know about before I started [Thunderbolts*].
“The biggest learning curve for me was the proportion of the action to the more emotional, character-driven scenes, and how, even though it’s more shooting days than I’ve ever had, they get eaten up quite quickly by the action stuff. By the time we got to the end of it, it felt like, 'Oh, now I feel like we get how to do this a little bit better.'”
We know several actors from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise are expected to return for Avengers: Doomsday, and there’s a strong chance those films will also introduce brand-new mutant characters who carry over into the rebooted continuity.
For now, all of this remains unconfirmed, but the long-term plan is starting to come into focus. The current belief is that X-Men is targeting a May 5, 2028 theatrical release, setting the stage for mutants to finally take center stage in the MCU.