He's the best at what he does
October 20, 2016 7:50 AM   Subscribe

Hugh Jackman unsheathes his claws one last time to bid farewell to Wolverine AKA Logan AKA James Howett, a role he has played for 17 years. The first trailer for Logan, which borrows some concepts from the grimdark Old Man Logan comics by longtime MetaFilter-favorite Mark Millar, is out. The film is directed by James Mangold, who directed the second standalone film starring everyone's favorite hairy Canuck as well as a little biopic that bears some connection to the trailer's music and title card look.

Now widely regarded as a fan-favorite, Jackman's casting was originally not without controversy. You might want to read the comments for some laughs.
posted by entropicamericana (76 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
RELATED: The first poster and teaser sneak peek for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have been released, too. Obviously.
posted by entropicamericana at 7:52 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


Old Man Logan is the worst sort of Mark Millar edgelord garbage this side of Nemesis, but it looks like the movie takes virtually nothing from it so I'm tentatively on board.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:54 AM on October 20, 2016 [15 favorites]


Whoa, that's a good trailer.
posted by gwint at 7:54 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


B&W is really in now
posted by asfuller at 7:56 AM on October 20, 2016


Ooh, maybe we'll get an extreme closeup of Wolverine singing Bring Him Home.
posted by ChuraChura at 8:03 AM on October 20, 2016 [10 favorites]


Let us hope we'll get the first great Wolverine movie then, if such a thing is even possible.

I always liked him more as the side character in the X-Men, even though he played a prominent role in those movies, he was never the focus (which is good imo).

But this looks interesting.
posted by Megustalations at 8:04 AM on October 20, 2016


I bailed on the Wolverine after X-Men Origins, this looks better than that but I'll wait for the reviews.
posted by octothorpe at 8:04 AM on October 20, 2016


Hugh Jackman's beard seems to have done... something? Become a special effect? He looks like Joel from The Last of Us.

(Was the "longtime Mefi favorite" thing sarcasm? My god, Mark Millar is terrible.)
posted by selfnoise at 8:05 AM on October 20, 2016 [7 favorites]


Old Man Logan is the worst sort of Mark Millar edgelord garbage this side of Nemesis, but it looks like the movie takes virtually nothing from it so I'm tentatively on board.

When I heard they were doing Old Man Logan I got really worried. Not only is it jam-packed with Marvel inside baseball stuff, but it's over-the-top goofy (the Spider-Man dune buggy?) and packed with gross caricatures (incest hillbilly Hulk family). A lot of it wouldn't play on the screen and some of what would, frankly shouldn't. Not to mention that his Hawkeye is a straight goddamn ripoff of Green Arrow from DKR.

This, though, got me big time. I am likewise in the "old and shitty" camp, and American Recordings-era Johnny Cash is a good way to get me pre-boarded, but man oh man this looks so good.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:07 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


(yes it was sarcasm)
posted by entropicamericana at 8:08 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


I'm not holding out much hope. Both the predecessors have been arse.

I see Stephen Merchant is playing Caliban, which at least garners a flicker of interest from me.
posted by biffa at 8:09 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


I think The Wolverine had a pretty good first two acts and went pretty far downhill in the third. I'm in the minority, but on balance I wouldn't exactly call it a bad movie.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:12 AM on October 20, 2016 [3 favorites]


I stopped watching X-Men movies after seeing X-Men: The Last Stand, which seemed to have nothing but contempt for its own characters, but this trailer was pretty good, and the use of Cash's cover of Hurt got me. That said, I have more faith in James Gunn, and can't wait for Guardian of the Galaxy 2.
posted by airish at 8:15 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


I stopped watching X-Men movies after seeing X-Men: The Last Stand, which seemed to have nothing but contempt for its own characters

SPOILER: One of the many wonderful things about the follow up X movies is that they go straight and unambiguously into Brett Ratner Can Eat My Poo territory by deliberately shitting all over everything he did in that movie. It was pretty fun to watch.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:20 AM on October 20, 2016 [8 favorites]


Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is one of the few covers I can think of that is better than the original.
posted by indubitable at 8:32 AM on October 20, 2016 [5 favorites]


OHMYGOD is that Laura Kinney / X-23?! Logan's opposite-sex-clone turned adopted daughter?! I am 100% on board if this movie is bringing Laura into the franchise; she's a wonderful character in her own right, and her relationship with Logan is among my favorites in comics.

All-New Wolverine starring Laura is by far the best ongoing X-title Marvel is publishing right now. It also stars Old Man Logan (imported from an alternate dimension, with his own surprisingly good ongoing series), Laura's own clone / adopted little sister Gabby, and Jonathan the actual wolverine.

A household of Wolverines. ❤️
posted by nicebookrack at 8:35 AM on October 20, 2016 [12 favorites]


Cash is one of those artists that makes nearly every song he covers better than the original. About the only artist he can't improve is Bob Dylan, who is one of those artists whose own songs cannot be improved upon, much like Johnny Cash's.
posted by entropicamericana at 8:38 AM on October 20, 2016


Anyone else get a serious The Last of Us vibe?
posted by melissam at 8:43 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


> I stopped watching X-Men movies after seeing X-Men: The Last Stand

Oh man, I feel you with that. I was actually ANGRY after seeing that movie, as anyone who knew me at the time (who would have heard me rant about it) will attest to.

My wife convinced me to watch Future Past when it came out. You don't have to have seen first class first, but it helps... Future Past is worth a leap of faith, and more than makes up for the shitpile that was Last Stand. I came out of it INCREDIBLY satisfied, and if you enjoyed the first two movies only to be disgusted at the third, I'm sure you will too.
posted by MysticMCJ at 8:45 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


About the only artist he can't improve is Bob Dylan, who is one of those artists whose own songs cannot be improved upon, much like Johnny Cash's.

Jimi Hendrix would like a word with you.
posted by asterix at 8:48 AM on October 20, 2016 [25 favorites]


Is he strong?
Listen, bud
Technically he doesn't have superhuman strength but he's lugging around like 600 pounds of adamantium on his bones and can still do sweet ninja moves so he must be pretty robust

Can he swing,
From a thread?
No.

Take a look
Overhead
Now look down
Because he's pretty short

- Excerpt from "Wolverine: The Animated Series," an aborted Ralph Baskhi project from the late '60s; they wound up going with another hero instead
posted by Shepherd at 9:00 AM on October 20, 2016 [28 favorites]


I continue to maintain that the only Wolverine movie I need to see is Wolverine: the Musical (the good one, not the one with the puppets). I reserve the right to change my policy if there's ever a movie that's nothing but wacky hijinks with Wolvie and Jubilee, or Kitty Pryde, or both. Preferably both.
posted by asperity at 9:03 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is one of the few covers I can think of that is better than the original.

Not my quote, but...

"When Trent Reznor was asked if Cash could cover his song, Reznor said he was "flattered" but worried that "the idea sounded a bit gimmicky."

He became a fan of Cash's version, however, once he saw the music video.

I pop the video in, and wow... Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. [I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore... It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure."
posted by jkaczor at 9:03 AM on October 20, 2016 [19 favorites]


Metafilter: (the good one, not the one with the puppets)
posted by chavenet at 9:06 AM on October 20, 2016 [6 favorites]


God I hope this movie has an old grizzled Deadpool teleporting around with his wristswords and lasereyes like in the comic book
posted by beerperson at 9:07 AM on October 20, 2016 [5 favorites]


I am fully aware of the mixed success Marvel has had with Logan, both in the comics and in the films. And I know there are long-running jokes about how his powers compare to his peers.

But here's the thing: when done right, Logan/Wolverine is fantastic. And it's for a very simple reason: what it takes to use his power. His power is healing. To use that, it means he has to be willing to get hurt. Badly. I enjoy Superman, Luke Cage, and other basically invulnerable heroes as much as the next person. But when Wolverine saves the day, he has to do by withstanding tremendous physical harm to his person. It takes unbelievable bravery and selflessness to even use a power like that. He will heal, yes. But he will feel every single bit of it, the same as any other regular person. And he'll have the scars.

This trailer seems to indicate they're going to take a pretty serious look at the toll this would take on a person's body and psyche to live a life like that. If they do it right, it could be really great.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:16 AM on October 20, 2016 [23 favorites]


At the risk of asking a question that is going to be too complicated to answer: where does this fit in the X-Men films continuity?
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 9:33 AM on October 20, 2016


My trainer screams random stuff about Hugh Jackman at me while I'm lifting.
posted by Coda Tronca at 9:34 AM on October 20, 2016 [7 favorites]


lol at the idea that the X-Men films have anything remotely resembling continuity
posted by entropicamericana at 9:35 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


where does this fit in the X-Men films continuity?

An Alternate Future that must Never Come to Pass, is my guess.
posted by Shepherd at 9:42 AM on October 20, 2016


Re: Cash's version of Hurt. Reznor's words always sounded to me like a really carefully worded statement, because... what else is he going to say? That he hates how everyone enjoys more an out of context version of the song that marked the most vulnerable point of a deeply personal album? From a Cazh Bop album, no less? "No, mine is better!" Of course not...
posted by infinitelives at 9:57 AM on October 20, 2016 [3 favorites]


He will heal, yes. But he will feel every single bit of it, the same as any other regular person. And he'll have the scars.

So it stopped hurting?
Nope.
Oh.

posted by Etrigan at 9:59 AM on October 20, 2016 [5 favorites]


Yes, totally thought Last of Us (just add zombies! Although clearly Logan has an advantage being all mutant powersy).
posted by bitterkitten at 10:30 AM on October 20, 2016


what else is he going to say? That he hates how everyone enjoys more an out of context version of the song that marked the most vulnerable point of a deeply personal album? From a Cazh Bop album, no less?

I just assumed Reznor had ears was why he said that. He certainly doesn't sound like he's just being gracious. He sounds like he was blown away. "I can't remember the last time I almost cried seeing a music video."

Cazh Bop? I get that you're trying to be clever, but do you really consider Johnny Cash interpreting various songs from the contemporary and classic American songbooks as statements about his life and mortality to be comparable to a chorus of kids doing sanitized pop music?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:37 AM on October 20, 2016 [10 favorites]


Yes, the second X-Men trilogy was fantastic, though Apocalypse sort of didn't work nearly as well as First Class or Days of Future Past. It...just didn't have anything to say. There's a moment where they just really blare music at you, for an unusually long time, as if it's the only thing they can think to do.

Still, the trilogy is some incredible alternate world building -- there are consequences to all this chicanery!
posted by effugas at 10:41 AM on October 20, 2016


Would have been nice if the music choice wasn't so...obvious.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:58 AM on October 20, 2016


I just read the Wikipedia article about the Old Man Logan storyline, and it seems pretty grim. And then ridiculous. Hulk eats Logan, Logan regenerates, and claws his way out of Hulk's stomach?
posted by My Dad at 11:03 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


AFAICT, the only things it's using from OML is "Logan got old, his healing factor sucks now," and probably "most of the other mutants/heroes are gone and the world is fucked" which is why said "borrows some concepts from" rather than "based on."
posted by entropicamericana at 11:07 AM on October 20, 2016


It's that and "road trip through a ruined world," it seems like.

If anything, that Wikipedia article undersells OML's over-the-top grimdarkery, so yeah. This is a good thing.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:09 AM on October 20, 2016


I just saw First Class recently and it was just OK. Most of the new actors are quite good but Kevin Bacon was just terrible.
posted by octothorpe at 11:17 AM on October 20, 2016



Old Man Logan is the worst sort of Mark Millar edgelord garbage this side of Nemesis, but it looks like the movie takes virtually nothing from it so I'm tentatively on board.


That's why Wanted was pretty tolerable and Civil War really good. And I'm also excited for Laura coming into the X-movie family. (The best thing about Apocalypse, aside from yet again doing better scenes with Quicksilver than he has ever had in the comics, was dropping big hints about X-23.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:18 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


Jackman's casting was originally not without controversy

No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
posted by Guy Smiley at 11:24 AM on October 20, 2016 [7 favorites]


I mean, both of those things are true. To date I have not seen Hugh Jackman play back even a single MP3.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:30 AM on October 20, 2016 [5 favorites]


He will heal, yes. But he will feel every single bit of it, the same as any other regular person. And he'll have the scars.

This would be a bit more convincing if he didn't get into fights at the drop of a hat. Debate over global politics? Snikt! Which path should we take through this ruined temple? Snikt! Are you mildly disrespecting me? Snikt! Superhero management fast track selection? Snikt! Disagreement over education policy? Snikt!
posted by biffa at 11:35 AM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


Red band trailer.
posted by entropicamericana at 11:37 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


I mean, it's worth noting that Millar's take on Old Man Logan was the basis for that version of the character, but to an extent it's been retconned and softened in the last few years. And the Logan that the real, post-Secret Wars Marvel comics universe has is, if not the same one, an old Logan that's been zapped from the future of the multiverse into the present day.
posted by mikeh at 11:57 AM on October 20, 2016


Even with most of it acting and makeup, it hurts to see sad, weakened Xavier with bruised and papery skin and a raspy wisp voice. I am not emotionally prepared for Patrick Stewart to be old or frail or dying. He's ageless Immortal Scifi Grandpa.
posted by nicebookrack at 12:04 PM on October 20, 2016 [17 favorites]


I don't get why this is a red band-

SNIKT GLUKKKKKK

Oh.
posted by middleclasstool at 12:15 PM on October 20, 2016 [8 favorites]


>> Yeah, the "real" Marvel comics Logan is still dead, though the alternate-universe Old Man Logan from Secret Wars has basically replaced him in the current universe.

The art in the current ongoing Old Man Logan series is DEFINITELY inspired by grizzled aging Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
posted by nicebookrack at 12:16 PM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


Jackman's 2000 first appearance as Logan in X-Men is still amazing to watch. Man, he/we/superheroes/everyone were all so young.
posted by nicebookrack at 12:30 PM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


I just read the Wikipedia article about the Old Man Logan storyline, and it seems pretty grim.

Seriously, just the plot summary in the Wiki article is like the dumbest thing I've ever read.
posted by beerperson at 12:44 PM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


Yeah whoa this was a rollercoaster of emotions. Hugh Jackman is pretty much one of my favourite living people and his Wolverine is just...the Wolverine...so I hope Logan isn't a terrible flaming garbage pile like the last two were.
posted by turbid dahlia at 12:57 PM on October 20, 2016


Jackman's 2000 first appearance yt as Logan in X-Men is still amazing to watch yt

Man look how reasonable and achievable the body types are! No one looks like a surreal distortion of humanity!
posted by The Whelk at 1:02 PM on October 20, 2016 [3 favorites]


My trainer screams random stuff about Hugh Jackman at me while I'm lifting.

In my head I'm imagining your trainer yelling random bits of trivia like "HUGH JACKMAN WON A TONY FOR THE BOY FROM OZ!" or "HUGH JACKMAN IS AN ADVISOR FOR THE GLOBAL POVERTY PROJECT!"
posted by haileris23 at 1:03 PM on October 20, 2016 [30 favorites]


All-New Wolverine starring Laura is by far the best ongoing X-title Marvel is publishing right now.

Yes, but Squirrel Girl's comic is literally Unbeatable.
posted by straight at 1:05 PM on October 20, 2016 [6 favorites]


Man look how reasonable and achievable the body types are! No one looks like a surreal distortion of humanity!

you mean like chris evans and his biceps?
posted by entropicamericana at 1:11 PM on October 20, 2016


I'm a pretty big fan of his huge acting so I'll probably see this.
posted by Green With You at 1:28 PM on October 20, 2016


My trainer screams random stuff about Hugh Jackman at me while I'm lifting.

In my head I'm imagining your trainer yelling random bits of trivia like "HUGH JACKMAN WON A TONY FOR THE BOY FROM OZ!" or "HUGH JACKMAN IS AN ADVISOR FOR THE GLOBAL POVERTY PROJECT!"


"HUGH JACKMAN'S AMERICAN REMAKE OF VIVA LAUGHLIN WAS CANCELLED AFTER TWO EPISODES AND YOU CAN'T EVEN GIVE ME ONE MORE GODDAMN PUSHUP?!?"
posted by Etrigan at 1:31 PM on October 20, 2016 [13 favorites]


In my head I'm imagining your trainer yelling random bits of trivia

I wish. Hugh Jackman is 47 years of age and basically it's this that my trainer is screaming at me, because I'm 45 and his other gym rats are not, but Jackman is a stone cold protein shake legend.
My trainer's first language is French not English so it's:

HUGH JACKMAN! 47! 47!
HE DON'T STOP!
WE DON'T STOP!
posted by Coda Tronca at 1:31 PM on October 20, 2016 [14 favorites]


To date I have not seen Hugh Jackman play back even a single MP3.

You need to spring for the upgraded version.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:37 PM on October 20, 2016


To date I have not seen Hugh Jackman play back even a single MP3.

Well, yeah - he's the Boy from .ogg!
posted by Guy Smiley at 1:41 PM on October 20, 2016 [7 favorites]


I thought Deadpool would be in this one. And it is rated R right? ( because of the success of... Deadpool )
posted by Liquidwolf at 1:45 PM on October 20, 2016


I thought Deadpool would be in this one. And it is rated R right? ( because of the success of... Deadpool )

I can't keep up with which studio owns which properties' rights. I can't wait for Wanda to "reverse decimate" Marvel Cinematic Universe so that we just open the next film with Logan *has always* been an Avenger.
posted by mikelieman at 1:56 PM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


Deadpool and X-Men are the same studio. No guarantee Ryan Reynolds will be in this, but you've gotta imagine he'd be up for it if everybody else is.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:09 PM on October 20, 2016


I recognize I'm a niche market, but this thread's Imaginary Hugh Jackman Trivia Shouting trainer would get me back in the gym for the first time in over a decade.

I'm really surprised that I'd be interested in another X-Men movie after getting my heartbroken by the third offering in a trilogy AGAIN, let alone a Wolverine movie, but I've got to say I'm intrigued.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 2:12 PM on October 20, 2016 [3 favorites]


Deadpool belongs to Fox, which makes the X-Men movies, so he could technically be in this one; but as the DP movie removed a lot of the Weapon X / Wolverine involvement in Deadpool's backstory, there aren't a lot of (non-fourth-wall breaking) reasons for the characters to know each other in the movie universe. (The X-Men Origins: Wolverine story with Wolverine working with Wade Wilson on a strike team isnt canon anymore, right? Wow, that sentence had a lot of Ws.)

It's a bit sad that Jackman/Wolverine is exiting the X-movie universe just as Deadpool is finally hitting the same scene. We've missed out on a lot of possible Wade & Logan moments, from the silly to the sad.
posted by nicebookrack at 2:13 PM on October 20, 2016


After actually paying real Canadian dollars to see X-Men: Apocalypse, I swore I was done with all things Mutant.

And then this kicks me in the feels.
posted by One Hand Slowclapping at 2:36 PM on October 20, 2016


I am not emotionally prepared for Patrick Stewart to be old or frail or dying. He's ageless Immortal Scifi Grandpa.

Speaking of Hurt, that hurt me to see, especially when he was lying in a hospital bed looking frightened.

To feel better, I recommend a video of he and BFF Ian being interviewed by Christiane Amanpour earlier this week.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:02 PM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


Yes, but Squirrel Girl's comic is literally Unbeatable.

Speaking of Squirrel Girl, when does she get a movie ? BECAUSE I WANT A SQUIRREL GIRL MOVIE!!!
posted by Pendragon at 3:09 PM on October 20, 2016


Squirrel Girl is officially medically and legally distinct from being a mutant, so any potential SG movie will be in the Marvel Studios MCU wheelhouse, not Fox. But perhaps she'll be available to nanny Luke Cage & Jessica Jones's future kid!
posted by nicebookrack at 3:17 PM on October 20, 2016 [3 favorites]


I'm honestly excited for this. It's a damn shame that it seems to have taken three tries to finally get it right, and, if the trailer is indeed a preview for a movie that will actually be good, it's kind of crappy that the only "good" Wolverine movie we're going to get will be fading, old Wolverine at the end of the world. I mean, it's definitely a story I'm interested in, but seriously: a guy with memory issues, poor anger management, claws, and a habit of fighting swarms of ninjas. How hard could it be to make a decent movie out of that?

Movie one: violent Wolverine killing people. No origin. No weakness. Peak Wolverine doing his thing, being the best there is at what he does. Ending with hints about his past and how he got to be where he is.

Movie two: Wolverine finding out about Weapon X, discovering (some) of his past, leaving him a changed man, ending on a downer, Wolverine refuses to use his claws anymore, maybe because of the circumstances he got them in, or the fact that he's discovered that all along, he's been a rabid animal that others have maneuvered into killing the enemies of the people who created him.

Movie three: Basically, what we see in the trailer, where (just like the only decent thing in OML) he refuses to use his claws until he's put into a situation that requires it (to save X23 essentially). Redemption plot.

But yeah, at least give us one movie of non-angst ridden angry Canadian killing machine being a badass. That shouldn't have been so hard.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:33 PM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]


Squirrel Girl is officially medically and legally distinct from being a mutant, so any potential SG movie will be in the Marvel Studios MCU wheelhouse, not Fox.

I don't care what kind of cinema-pandering reality-garbling shenanigans Doom and/or Reed have been up to. If you're a founding member of the Great Lakes X-men, your book is eligible to be nominated for "by far the best ongoing X-title Marvel is publishing right now."
posted by straight at 10:03 PM on October 20, 2016 [2 favorites]


Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is one of the few covers I can think of that is better than the original. best songs in the world

ftfetc.
posted by Sebmojo at 1:08 AM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]


OHMYGOD is that Laura Kinney / X-23?!

I misread that as Laura Linney and thought, "This will be the most amazing X-Men movie ever." So much upper-middle-class talking, and wine drinking, and snowed in during a New England blizzard, and...oh, Kinney. Well, I'm sure that's also nice.
posted by Guy Smiley at 8:57 AM on October 21, 2016 [3 favorites]


Squirrel Girl and the New Warriors TV show, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
posted by fomhar at 10:08 AM on October 21, 2016


Squirrel Girl and the New Warriors TV show

A jacked Speedball is bad enough, but Supermodel Squirrel Girl is a fucking abhorrence.
posted by Etrigan at 10:13 AM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]


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