The big X-Men reunion for "Days of Future Past" continues, as The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Hugh Jackman is in talks to reprise his Wolverine role for the upcoming sequel. He would join director Bryan Singer and stars Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, all of whom have joined the production recently.
THR has no information about the nature of Jackman's appearance; fans might recall that Jackman appeared in a cameo in the previous film, "X-Men: First Class," which played as a gag more than anything. Assuming that Wolverine will figure prominently into the proceedings, it's fun to speculate just what role the character could play in the film.
Wolverine was pivotal in the original story, which revolved around multiple timelines; one took place during the present day (1980), whereas the other centered on a dystopian future where mutants had been interred and exterminated by the federal government after the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly (already deceased in the "X-Men" film universe, so expect some story changes here).
At any rate, Wolverine is one of the few characters present in both timelines, and "X-Men: First Class" already revealed Jackman's Logan to be kicking around. As such, it's not a stretch to think that Jackman could show up in both timelines as the grey-streaked, elder Wolverine and his younger counterpart, who may be pressed into helping Professor Xavier after all (he memorably told both Xavier and Magneto to take a hike during his cameo appearance last time).
Here's where things get even more intriguing: Jackman is currently shooting "The Wolverine," which is said to take place in some far-flung future where the X-Men are "gone," with Logan left all alone. Could this somehow connect to "Days of Future Past?"
It's been said that Fox sees this film as an opportunity to pull off their own "Avengers" style crossover, so it's easy to imagine that the studio might attempt to use that solo film to subtly launch into "Days of Future Past" by teasing the sequel.
Audiences might get a hint next summer when "The Wolverine" debuts in theaters; "Days of Future Past" will then follow in July of 2014.
