Richard E. Grant is a notable actor of distinction in the world of British film and television. He's one of those legendary character actors that you've probably seen in his many years of operation, and his latest role is going to take his career even further. Prepare to see Grant go head to head with Wolverine.
The Hollywood Reporter ran an item detailing that Wolverine 3 is set to start production this May, along with further details about the role that Grant is signing on for. While no character name is given, and no plot details have been dropped as well, Richard E. Grant has been pegged as playing "a villainous mad scientist type." Despite the low level of details, we've got some ideas as to who Grant could be playing.
The big opportunity for Richard E. Grant's entry into the world of Wolverine 3 is, of course, that of Mr. Sinister. While we've bandied about the character for inclusion in the Gambit solo film, introducing the character in Wolverine 3 seems like a logical step in the deployment of the character. Keep in mind, this "mad scientist" character is mentioned alongside Boyd Holbrook's "nemesis" to Wolverine in the new film. So there's a good chance that Holbrook's similarly mysterious baddie could be front and center, with Grant's Sinister possibly being the man behind the curtain this time out.
Of course, there's always a possibility that this "mad scientist" role meant for Richard E. Grant could be a brand new character written specifically for Wolverine 3. This would be especially fitting if the "Old Man Logan" scenario is being used for this third, and final, solo trek for Hugh Jackman's iconic comic character. With a lot of the heroes and villains of the Marvel comic universe being tied up with various rights holders, the book's original conflict between Wolverine and Bruce Banner's family of Hulked out thugs is most assuredly not going to happen. So a new conflict will need to be set up for the film, and who better to start trouble than a character created from whole cloth?
No matter which path Wolverine 3 takes with its new mad scientist character, the audience can rest assured that Richard E. Grant is a stellar pick for the role. Grant's most notable credits come from such films as Withnail and I and Bram Stoker's Dracula, as well as television shows like Girls and Doctor Who. If that doesn't show enough range for the audience to be comfortable with his casting, then let us drop the ultimate surprise credit on your desks: the man was in Spice World, and he not only still had an acting career after, it's been a thriving career at that.
As soon as any further information on Richard E. Grant's involvement in Wolverine 3 is announced, we'll break the news as soon as we get it. In the meantime, the film is looking at a May start date, with a release date of March 3, 2017 in mind.
