Sharpen Those Claws

And save the date: May 1, 2009. That's when Hugh Jackman will be back in fightin' form as the star of the now officially titled X-Men Origins: Wolverine. (Expect the Magneto solo pic to follow suit, title-wise, any day now.)

Jackman will be joined by director Gavin Hood (Rendition) and possibly Liev Schreiber as the younger William Stryker (played by Brian Cox in X2: X-Men United) when filming begins later this year. Locations will include Jackman's native Australia, as well as New Zealand and New Orleans, fueling rumors that Gambit, a fan fave in the comics, will make an appearance. Other mutants, both new to the series and others already seen in the main trilogy, will reportedly make appearances in the spin-off, so the idea of Gambit, a renegade who can control kinetic energy, is not far off.

Taking a seat in the official Movie Dearest "Armchair Casting" Barcalounger, I'll throw a name out there that was mentioned back when it was rumored that Gambit would be in X-Men: The Last Stand: Josh Holloway. As every Lost fan knows, he certainly has the southern bad boy charm the role requires. Reportedly, Holloway turned down the part before it was cut from that film, but maybe a larger role in this one could entice him to pick up the cards and take a chance.

Links via Variety.com, Imdb.com and Wikipedia.org.