Variety is confirming today that Hugh Jackman and his Seed Productions partner John Palermo are already developing a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which took the top of the box office in its opening weekend. Jackman has admitted in the past that he has already been talking to writers about storylines, concepts, etc — including possible conversations with Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy — but this is the first official word we’ve seen about a sequel. As you might have noticed, there is a lot of energy from producer Lauren Shuler Donner around potential spin-offs for Deadpool and Gambit.

Wolverine 2 — which would focus on the samurai storyline that originate in the comic books series, one that sees Wolverine traveling to Japan — is the next logical step if you ask me. The spin-offs could get some traction, but if this past weekend’s box office says anything for the franchise, it is that the mainstream loves a little Wolverine. Another factor is how well Wolverine played with female audiences, a segment that comprised 44% of its box office take. In short, ladies love Hugh Jackman — who can blame the man for exploiting that a bit.

According to Variety, Jackman also has several other projects in the work under the Seed Productions banner, including one very interesting action flick called Drive, which is said to be in the same vain as the classic work of Steve McQueen. The adaptation of the James Sallis novel set would star Jackman as a solitary man who drives race cars by day and getaway cars by night in Los Angeles. And while I wouldn’t go as far as to compare Jackman to McQueen, this is certainly a project that sounds interesting.

You can find out more about these and other projects in the Variety report.

What would you like to see from Jackman next, another Wolverine or something different?