The Wolverine is indeed a 2013 superhero film based on the character Wolverine from Marvel Comics. It’s really the sixth movie inside this X-Men movie series, the second in the Wolverine movie trilogy after X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and a spin-off/sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
Hugh Jackman stars as Logan / Wolverine, alongside Rila Fukushima, Tao Okamoto, Hiroyuki Sanada, Famke Janssen, and Will Yun Lee, in a film directed by James Mangold from such a screenplay written by Scott Frank and Mark Bomback and based on the 1982 limited series Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Logan returns to Japan after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, where he fights an old acquaintance in a battle that has long-term ramifications. Wolverine is stripped of his healing abilities and forced to fight lethal samurai while grappling with remorse over Jean Grey’s death.
After the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, the movie’s development began. In August 2009, Christopher McQuarrie was contracted to develop a script for The Wolverine. Darren Aronofsky was hired to helm the picture in October 2010.
Following Aronofsky’s departure as well as the March 2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami, the production was put on hold. Mangold was hired to take over for Aronofsky in June 2011. In September 2011, Bomback was engaged to rework the script. The supporting cast was cast in July 2012, and principal photography began at the end of the month in New South Wales, before travelling to Tokyo in August 2012 and returning to New South Wales in October 2012. In post-production, the film was transformed into 3D.
On July 24, 2013, 20th Century Fox released The Wolverine in several overseas regions, and two days later in the United States. It earned mostly favourable reviews from critics, who praised it for its action sequences, performances (particularly Jackman’s), intimacy, and conceptual depth, however, some criticised the climax and Viper’s character. The movie has made $414 million worldwide, making it the franchise’s sixth highest-grossing picture.
On Blu-ray, an unrated extended edit of the movie called “Unleashed Extended Edition” was published, including more blood and violence, longer action scenes, and more footage during character interactions. Logan, the third film in the series, was released on March 3, 2017.
Marco Beltrami, who previously composed James Mangold’s film 3:10 to Yuma (2007), revealed his involvement in The Wolverine in September 2012.