Draft:Wolverine in film
- Spider-Man in film (2007)
- Fantastic Four in film (2008)
- Batman in film (2008)
- Captain America in film (2023)
Background
Nelvana / Orion Pictures
In 1982, Canadian animation studio Nelvana optioned the rights to the X-Men, being interested in expanding to live-action.[1] Nelvana co-founder Michael Hirsh hired longtime X-Men writer Chris Claremont, who wrote two separate outlines—one from June 1982 and the other from 1983—both featuring Wolverine as a lead.[1] Clarement eventually left the project to focus on writing novels and the X-Men comics.[1]
Following Claremont's departure, Marvel writers and chief editors Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas were hired to write a screenplay, by which point Orion Pictures held the rights.[2] In their script, which went through multiple revisions, mutants are absent and Wolverine, again featured as a lead, and gained his adamantium skeleton due to a car accident.[1] Development stalled when Orion Pictures began facing financial troubles.[2]
Carolco Pictures
By 1989, Stan Lee had entered into talks with Carolco Pictures to make a film adaptation of the X-Men,[2][3] with James Cameron as producer, Kathryn Bigelow as director, and Gary Goldman as writer.[3][4] Goldman's draft was titled Wolverine and the X-Men (dated June 18th, 1991) and featured Wolverine alongside Professor Xavier recruiting Kitty Pryde.[3] Bob Hoskins was considered to star as Wolverine, but the deal fell apart when Lee piqued Cameron's interest in a Spider-Man film,[4]
20th Century Fox
In December 1992, Marvel discussed selling the property to Columbia Pictures to no avail.[5] Producer Lauren Shuler Donner and 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights for the X-Men in 1994,[6] hiring Andrew Kevin Walker to write the script.[7] Walker's draft involved Professor X recruiting Wolverine into the X-Men, which consisted of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Warren Worthington III. In this version, Wolverine was a "shady" operative working for Canada's Department H,[3] who initially refused to join the X-Men until after a fight with Sabretooth, and had a rivalry with Cyclops.[8]
Laeta Kalogridis was brought on for a subsequent rewrite.[3] Her script, titled Wolverine and the X-Men and dated August 18th, 1995, would have featured Wolverine being recruited by the X-Men shortly after gaining his adamantium skeleton and memory loss.[3]
Fox X-Men films
| Films | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine | May 1, 2009 | Gavin Hood | David Benioff & Skip Woods | Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Hugh Jackman & John Palermo | |
| The Wolverine | July 26, 2013 | James Mangold | Mark Bomback & Scott Frank | Lauren Shuler Donner & Hutch Parker | |
| Logan | March 3, 2017 | Scott Frank, James Mangold & Michael Green | James Mangold | Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg & Hutch Parker | |
Title roles
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The Wolverine (2013)
Logan (2017)
Ensemble and supporting roles
X-Men (2000)
X2 (2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Cameo appearances
Marvel Cinematic Universe films
Cast and characters
Crew
Home media
Reception
Box office performance
Critical and public response
References
- ^ a b c d Radulovic, Petrana (June 11, 2019). "The abandoned X-Men movie of the 1980s isn't missed by anyone involved". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c Brajer, Jessica (January 18, 2023). "X-Men (2000): The Movie's Long Development Process, Explained". MovieWeb. Valnet Inc. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Cecchini, Mike (June 7, 2019). "The X-Men Movies You Never Saw". Den of Geek. DoG Tech LLC. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Molloy, Tim (March 25, 2012). "Chris Claremont's Dream X-Men Movie: James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, and Bob Hoskins as Wolverine". TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Marvel characters holding attraction for filmmakers". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. December 8, 1992. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff (July 21, 2000). "Generating X". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Daly, Steve (September 29, 1995). "Deadly Done Right". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Geisinger, Gabriella (March 12, 2020). "The X-Men's first movie that we never got to see sounded so much better". [Digital Spy]]. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.