It didn’t take long after the character of Wolverine got added to the X-Men back in 1975’s “Giant Size X-Men #1” for him to take the pop culture world by storm and become one of the most beloved and prolific characters in comic book history. By the time 1982 rolled around, the character was so big that he was ready for his first solo title, and so a Chris Claremont-penned Frank Miller-penciled four issue mini-series was released seeing the character travel to Japan, get engaged to a woman named Mariko, and battle some modern day samurai. That first Wolverine in Japan storyline showed the most human side of the character we had seen yet, and over time it has become pretty seminal. That’s why the upcoming sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, adapted to the screen by The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie and simply titled The Wolverine, will be drawing on it heavily for inspiration. But we’ve known all of that for a while. What is the new news on the development of this project? The Wolverine used to be a highly anticipated upcoming film back when Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct, but once he dropped off the hype machine died down quite a bit. The last we heard about it, 3:10 to Yuma director James Mangold was most likely to be stepping into Aronofsky’s shoes, and shooting would most likely begin in fall. That news was met with a collective “meh” from the online world, so we haven’t [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Not too long ago Fox’s supposed filmmaker wish list for “The Wolverine” was leaked. For the most part, it was filled with fairly safe choices. To no great surprise, the studio has decided to go with one of those many easy picks: director James Mangold. While the director hasn’t signed on yet, an offer has gone out and Deadline Fukushima makes it sound like a sure deal. The idea of going from a guy like Darren Aronfosky to Mangold is disheartening and disappointing, but worse switches could happen. He’s a perfectly competent journeyman filmmaker. Walk the Line, Cop Land, Identity, and 3:10 to Yuma are all solid films, and even Knight and Day ain’t too bad. We probably won’t be getting a Wolverine film as ambitious as what Aronofsky would’ve done with the material, but I’d much rather see the director of 3:10 to Yuma than Tokyo Drift take on the Japan storyline. The Wolverine is expected to shoot this fall with the use of Christopher McQuarrie‘s (The Usual Suspects) draft.

I guess that would be X-Men: Second Class, and according to Bryan Singer, this is a possibility. When talking to IGN about including Wolverine in future plans for the series he said, “I think there would definitely be room. I think it would be a very exciting thing. This universe has to establish itself first, but that would be a very interesting and fun thing.” That might seem ridiculous for several reasons, but it could also make sense if done right. Firstly, it might be weird as Hugh Jackman is a holdout from the first series of X-Men films, and this seems to be something of a reboot; but that might not be an issue because this could also be seen as a prequel that is directly connected to the original trilogy of X-Men films. And despite the fact that Jackman would be much older than the crop of young actors bringing the X-Men to life in First Class, Wolverine’s mutant healing factor would go a long way in explaining that away. According to comic lore Wolverine has been around for quite some time looking exactly the same as he does now due to his mutant genes. The only problem would come when Jackman starts looking too old to be the same age as the guy who played Wolverine in the first X-Men. God forbid. This comment from Singer flies directly in the face of quotes that Lauren Shuler Donner has made about the future of the X-Men franchise, however. According [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

You’ve stumbled upon Circle of Jerks, our sporadically published, weekly feature in which we ask the questions that really matter to our writers and readers. It’s a time to take a break from our busy lives and revel in the one thing that we all share: a deep, passionate love of movies. If you have a question you’d like answered by the FSR readers and staff, send us an email at editors@filmschoolrejects.com. What movies would you recast/recrew? My answer:  Topher Grace as Spider-man.  Tobey Maguire is humorless.  And I’d somehow keep Ryan Reynolds from being the Green Lantern so he can be The Flash instead. And I’d like to have seen Preston Sturges direct just about any romantic comedy. – Sara F.

Could it be? Could Bryan Singer really be talking to Fox about the possibility of returning to the franchise he made popular? Get your hopes up, nerds.

Kevin Carr rages some sour grapes about not being able to make it to Comic-Con this year.

Neil and Kevin go completely ga-ga over the new Star Trek movie, singing praises to J.J. Abrams and the gang. Neil also laments the fact that he now has to start reviewing movies again while Kevin gives us his take on Next Day Air.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine clawed its way to an outstanding opening weekend, proving that fans love the X-Men franchise, and that it’s best to lower our expectations for comic book films.

With the success of X-Men Origins Wolverine, we’re a step closer to some new X-Spinoffs. But do we want them?

Once again, two members of the FSR staff have squared off. This week it is Josh Radde and Paul Sileo talking circles around who is the bigger badass, Wolverine or Wolverine.

Right now it’s just wishful thinking on the part of Tom Rothman, but if Ridley Scott’s schedule clears up, he might be coaxed into going back into space.

If you don’t know Scott Adkins by name right now, after X-Men Origins Wolverine you’ll at least know him as that guy who has awesome spin kicks.

Upon my rise from the depths of slumber this morning, I was greeted with a few options: (a) take a shower and eat breakfast like a normal person or (b) check Twitter and see what has been going on for the past 9 hours. I chose the latter, as I always do.

Check out this brand new extended action sequence from X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

It might not exactly be early — unless you live in Hawaii, which people do — but it is still the Early Edition here at FSR. And since we know that you can’t start your day until we give you some news, we’d like to get you going…

Like sweet manna from the heavens, movie rumors about the next Wolverine are already popping up. And you’ll love who people are claiming the screenwriter might be. Or not. I don’t pretend to know what makes you happy.

Strap in for more than a handful of story notes and spoilers for the next installment of everyone’s favorite mutant, and get the final word on what the hell is up with Deadpool.

The third full X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer has hit the web, and it is bringing a lot more mutant action. Check out some in-depth analysis, courtesy of us.

Bad puns aside, news comes today that the Wolverine film will have even more Deadpool that originally planned for, thanks to the Vancouver reshoots.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set for some serious reshoots, but there might be reason to look on the bright side for once. Or not. I’ll let you decide.