Fans expecting James Mangold’sThe Wolverine to have the same tone and flavor as the much maligned X-Men Origins: Wolverine are in for a bit shock. In an interview with Indie Wire, Mangold talked about some pretty drastic changes he has in mind for Canada’s merriest mutant, and, on behalf of comic book fans everywhere, we thank him in advance.
“It’s a kind of adventure following such a unique character also in a really unique environment,” Mangold told the website. “I mean, the fact that half of the characters in this movie speak Japanese, this is like a foreign-language superhero movie that’s as much a drama and a detective story and a film noir, with high-octane action as it is anything like a conventional tentpole film.”
It looks as though Mangold isn’t only looking to distance himself from the first movie, but from the superhero genre in general. He continued the interview by saying, “It isn’t an origin story, so I’m freed from that burden, and it also isn’t a save-the-world movie, which most of them are. It’s actually a character piece; I actually think it has more in common with The Outlaw Josey Wales and Chinatown, what we’re doing, than the conventional, ‘will Wolverine and his compatriots save the world from this thermonuclear device’ question.”
If Mangold keeps his word and holds true to this vision, then The Wolverine could actually wind up being a film to keep an eye on. Wolverine certainly isn’t the most conventional Marvel character, so Mangold looking at non-superhero movies for inspiration could be the best decision the production has made so far.
The Wolverine is scheduled for a 2013 release.
[via Indie Wire]
