Wolverine

Steve Rogers won’t be back on the big screen until next year, when Marvel releases “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” but a tiny, blocky Cap is set to feature prominently in one of the year’s most anticipated video games. The patriotic hero will be among the 100 playable characters featured in “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” — an impressive all-star ensemble that includes Wolverine, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Silver Surfer, with the mercenary Deadpool dropping in and out to offer commentary on the action. In the game, due on all major platforms in October, the Marvel team is called upon to save the world from new threats from Loki and the hunger of Galactus, and to find the powerful pieces of a shattered Silver Surfer surfboard. Cosmic cubes, Asgard and the Daily Bugle all make appearances, as does a […]

“The Wolverine,” the new film starring Hugh Jackman as the near indestructible mutant Logan, is set to open in theaters July 26, bringing the revered Chris Claremont/Frank Miller comics saga to the screen. The newest trailer for the movie, directed by James Mangold, showcases the film’s story line, which explores the character’s inner demons, even as he faces external threats after traveling to Japan to say goodbye to an acquaintance. The clip opens with Jackman haunted by a nightmare visitation from Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey. Logan promises her that he’ll never hurt her, or anyone else, again. But, she whispers, “It’s too late.” He wakes up, bearded and alone, outside in the woods, where he’s exiled himself in search of solitude. But his time there doesn’t last long. Soon, he’s off to Japan to see the man whose life he […]

With films such as “Cop Land,” “3:10 to Yuma” and “Walk the Line,” director James Mangold has delivered gritty portraits of flawed heroes struggling to overcome their baser natures. He’s at it again with his next film, only this time the good guy isn’t a police officer, an old West lawman or Johnny Cash — he’s an immortal mutant with adamantium claws and a bad attitude. Opening July 26, “The Wolverine” features Hugh Jackman returning to his famed “X-Men” role in a more contemplative fashion. In it, Logan travels to Japan to bid farewell to a dying acquaintance only to find himself protecting the life of an heiress, even as he struggles to come to terms with the tragic events of his past. “What’s very much at play is this sense of a guy who’s figuring himself out and who’s […]

Has Wolverine found his kryptonite? And how will the rage-filled mutant who can heal from virtually any wound deal with the possibility of his own mortality? These are a few of the questions that a new trailer for “The Wolverine” raises. “The Wolverine” trailer, released Wednesday morning, opens with beautiful and deadly Japanese ninja Yukio (Rila Fukushima) confessing to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine that she has been searching for him for more than a year. They get on a plane to Japan, where a very rich and sickly man has a gift for Wolverine. During World War II, Wolverine saved this man’s life by shielding him from a nuclear blast. Now it’s time to repay the debt. “I didn’t send for you only to thank you, Logan,” the man says, reclining on a bed made of thick metal pins. “I want […]

With “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and more sci-fi and fantasy films, 2012 was a landmark, record-breaking year for spectacle entertainment. But 2013 looks just as promising with a host of big, anticipated sequels — including “Iron Man 3″ and “Star Trek Into Darkness” — and such smart new offerings as “Pacific Rim” and “Elysium” on the calendar. With that in mind, here’s a look at Hero Complex’s 13 must-see movies in 2013. “Oz: The Great and Powerful” (March 8) Sam Raimi’s upcoming “Oz: The Great and Powerful” promises viewers a journey down the yellow brick road that will include a breathtaking array of dazzling visual effects. The Disney film stars James Franco as the man who will become the Wizard of Oz, and takes place well before Dorothy arrives in the faraway fantasy […]

Retired police officer Darwin Bullock was slapping a blue wristband on Wolverine on Saturday afternoon at Comic-Con. Bullock staffs the event’s weapons check, a small station in the lobby of the San Diego Convention Center where costumed characters of all varieties come to have their fake swords, guns, or — in Wolverine’s case — claws inspected for safety. Though from across the hall he looked like a potentially deadly mutant, Wolverine turned out to be a low-key fellow named Yosef Ghiassy from San Francisco. Bullock deemed his plastic, blunt-edged talons nonthreatening, marking him with the wristband so other security personnel know this superhero has passed inspection. “Go have fun, sir. Enjoy,” said Bullock, who is working for one of the private security firms hired by the convention. A Comic-Con spokeswoman declined to comment on security protocols, but the gathering’s official […]

“Wolverine” star Hugh Jackman made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con on Thursday  morning to promote his robot boxing movie “Real Steel,” answering questions and bestowing swag upon a cheering crowd. In the film, Jackman plays a down-and-out former boxer 10 years in the future when the sport is no longer done by humans, but rather 2,000-pound robot gladiators, two of which Jackman showed off to the crowd at the event. “The world of human boxing is being superceded by robots who box,” Jackman said. “They’re badass. They’re unbelieveable. They’re great. But the reason I love the story was the human element of it. It’s a father-son relationship.” Jackman said his character, Charlie Kenton, goes on an emotional journey and compared “Real Steel” to classic sports movies. “His son turns up on his doorstep, and the two of them go on this great […]

John Horn checks in from CinemaCon in Las Vegas … Hugh Jackman won’t be playing Wolverine as soon as he wanted, so he’s breaking into song while he looks for a new director. Darren Aronofsky, who was scheduled to direct Jackman this summer in 20th Century Fox’s “The Wolverine,” backed out of the project this month. “He would have made a great film,” Jackman said in an interview Tuesday in Las Vegas, where he was promoting “Real Steel” at the annual  theater owners gathering called CinemaCon. “But it wasn’t the right time for him personally.” Jackman said the start of photography should only be delayed a matter of weeks. But the film also could need to change its production location, as it was originally set to be shot in Japan, which is still recovering from its catastrophic earthquake. “That’s in limbo […]

At 24 Frames, our must-read sister blog, Steven Zeitchik wonders if the great arthouse experiment is losing steam in superhero cinema. When Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” movies became a massive critical and commercial success a few years ago, it touched off one of the more unexpected mini-trends in modern filmmaking. Suddenly quirky directors were being handed the reins to big-budget men-in-tights tentpoles, as studios looked to replicate the formula that had the director of “Memento” scoring with splashy movies about a caped crime-fighter. It was an arrangement that seemed to give everyone what they wanted. Studios gained credibility and the potential for a massive hit, while the auteurs got to play with a bigger budget and on a bigger stage without (they hoped) giving up much artistic freedom. Plus they got to make a greenlighted movie, which in this climate may […]

Darren Aronofsky, the Academy Award-nominated director of last year’s “Black Swan,” falls in love with a project, gets his star to pack on the pounds and gain new muscles for the role and then leaves the movie. It happened several years back with “The Fighter” and now, it’s happened again. This morning, news came that Aronofsky has officially departed “The Wolverine,” leaving star Hugh Jackman all bulked up and with no one to direct him in battle. Twentieth Century Fox confirms Aronofsky has officially moved on from the project, which didn’t have an official start date but was expected to go before cameras in late spring, with the filmmaker stating that he didn’t want to be away from his family for a long period of time.  In a statement, Aronofsky said, “As I talked more about the film with my […]