The troubled development of X-sequel The Wolverine appears to be getting no easier, with Deadline reporting that filming has been pushed back from an initial autumn 2011 start date to some time in early 2012.
This is thought in part to be a move designed to allow Hugh Jackman to begin work on Les Miserables , but there are also huge question marks over where exactly filming is going to take place.
Much of the film was to have been filmed in Japan, but in the wake of the recent earthquake, many planned locations have been compromised.
As a stopgap cameras were set to begin rolling in Vancouver in November (presumably to cover some of the plot’s non-Japanese elements) although Jackman’s commitments elsewhere mean that even that now seems unlikely.
Indeed, Fox are reportedly considering pulling out of Japan altogether, which would presumably represent a significant setback, given that nearly all of Chris McQuarrie’s script is set there.
Its yet another hurdle to be cleared by this most beleaguered of super-projects. All had looked rosy last autumn, with Darren Aronofsky set to begin filming in March 2011. Since then, Aronofsky has dropped out and the film has suffered one delay after another.
Replacement director James Mangold will be hoping that Fox can come up with a viable solution sooner rather than later. Logic would suggest the studio will find a way – with the first Wolverine taking around $400 million worldwide, they won’t be giving up easily...
