The dust has well and truly settled from Logan, this year's most surprising superhero movie, which landed in March to rave reviews and glowing box-office returns. Now it seems the story is set to continue, without Wolverine: a new spin-off film is in the works based around Logan's breakout star character, X-23.
Played by newcomer Dafne Keen, X-23 – real name Laura Kinney – was a clone of Logan, created from some of the Wolverine's mutant blood. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director James Mangold confirmed that he was "working on a script", and that the giant success of Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman helps his case that a female-led film isn't such a terrible idea, actually.
"Patty's success with that film only solidifies more for studios that there's less to fear with a female protagonist," Mangold told THR. "The more that keeps getting hit home, that ends up giving me more space turning around and going, 'Well, here we are with a female protagonist. That's incredible. And what are we going to do with her?' And that's where we are with that [the Laura script] right now, dreaming."
X-Men series producer Hutch Parker – who has his hands full at the moment, with three X-Men movies due in 2018 – gave a small hint on what to expect. "It may not be in the same exact tonality or with the same genre orientations as Logan," he told THR, "but I think part of what has been opened up in this universe to all of us now is, drawing on different genre traditions, there are new pathways to be opened for new characters that populate this universe."
Craig Kyle, who created the character for the animated TV show X-Men: Evolution, is working with Mangold on the treatment. Hugh Jackman, meanwhile, has confirmed he won't be back, not even behind-the-scenes. "No, I won’t be a producer on a Laura sequel," he told THR. "But I will be lining up on the Thursday night at 10 p.m. to watch it though. She is just phenomenal."
There's no confirmation on whether Dafne Keen would reprise her role, but since the project is still in its early development phase, we'd say it's at least a couple of years off yet. In the meantime, there's The New Mutants, Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix all to look forward to next year.