Diehard Wolverine fans lost their fool minds when news broke recently that the upcoming sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine would be shooting in Hugh Jackman’s home country of Australia instead of Japan, as had previously been promised. As it turns out, according to this MTV interview with 20th Century Fox chief Tom Rothman, you’re both right:
As you can now see, Rothman says that interiors will be filmed on a stage in Australia (perhaps so Jackman can be near friends and family), while exteriors on James Mangold’s The Wolverine will, in fact, be shot in Japan. Rothman says that it has not been decided yet if they’ll film The Wolverine in 3D, but that the storyline will follow Frank Miller and Chris Claremont’s infamous plot thread that pits the razor-clawed mutant against deadly samurai in the land of the rising sun.
Rothman, as any good executive would, says their script “is excellent,” and he praises Jackman for his commitment to the character. “I can just tell you on behalf of him, his goal is to make the ultimate, bad ass, berserker rage Wolverine," Rothman says of his star.
Which is great. And we rarely ever doubted Jackman’s dedication to the role. It’s the scripting and direction that have let the Wolverine properties down in the past (including Brett Ratner’s disappointing X3, so we’re crossing our adamantium-covered claws that they’ll get it right next time.
