Stalled by a natural disaster, a director leaving and then a busy schedule, for a moment the future looked grim for "The Wolverine." But comic fans needn't fear — a release date has been set.
"The Wolverine" will now slash its way into theaters on July 26, 2013. And what can we tell you about this highly scrutinized project that you don't already know? "3:10 To Yuma" and "Knight & Day" helmer James Mangold will sit in the director's chair for a film that he described last fall as a dark character piece, not unlike "The Outlaw Josey Wales," and there has been some idle chatter about a possible R-rating (never gonna happen). "Total Recall" writer Mark Bomback did the most recent draft of the script that will find Wolverine suffering from amnesia and searching for answers about his past in the Japanese criminal underworld, where he finds both love and tragedy, and winds up squaring off against Silver Samurai.
If we had any reservations, the release date in just over a year — with Hugh Jackman yet to shoot Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables" — means yet another "let's-make-this-movie-in-12-months-or-less" time crunch by Fox. That approach nearly drove Matthew Vaughn batty during "X-Men: First Class," so let's hope that Mangold in his first superhero outing isn't rattled.
In other release date news "Alex Cross" — formerly "I, Alex Cross" — will land on October 26th. Based on the book by James Patterson, the movie features Tyler Perry in a non-crossdressing role as crime-busting psychologist Dr. Alex Cross. Matthew Fox has the role of Michael Sullivan, aka the Butcher of Sligo, a brutal assassin who kills for kicks and cash. After Cross botches one of his assignments, the Butcher kills Cross’ wife and then it’s game on between the two. Edward Burns will play Tommy Kane, Cross’ partner, with Jean Reno and John C. McGinley rounding out the cast. The movie will face "Halloween 3D" and Gerard Butler riding the waves in "Of Men And Mavericks."
And oh yeah, in case you wanted to take your valentine to "This Means War," we hope you have a Plan B — Fox just moved it back to its original release date of February 17th. [BOM]