UPDATE 2/19/08: Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) has signed a three-picture deal to play Gambit (aka Remy LeBeau), according to SHH.
There’s Wolverine movie news popping up all over the ‘net!
Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, and Lynn Collins have joined the cast of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the X-Men movie prequel which has Hugh Jackman reprising his role as the steel-clawed mutant, Wolverine. Also, Fred J. Dukes, aka The Blob, will appear in this spin-off.
This weekend, a first look came online of Hugh Jackman as the title character. Jackman told USA Today that Wolverine’s nemesis Victor Creed aka Sabretooth — who according to CHUD will be played by Liev Schreiber — “is going to play a big part in [the movie].”
Early rumors had Schreiber playing a young William Stryker, the role originated by Brian Cox in X2: X-Men United, but now JoBlo reports that Danny Huston (30 Days of Night) has been cast.
There’s not much info on the next two castings, but AICN reports that Ryan Reynolds will appear as Deadpool, while IESB has Lynn Collins cast as Silver Fox, Wolverine’s love interest and a Team X member.
Lastly, FSR reports that they have confirmation that Fred J. Dukes, aka The Blob, will appear in the film and that test footage has already been shot with an actor in a rubber suit.
As our source explains, the suit makes him look like he is 800 lbs., but the producers of the film wanted to make him even bigger, something like 1200 lbs. The key thing to note here is not only that The Blob will appear in the movie, but that it will be an actor in a suit rather than CGI. Of course the fact that this is test footage being shot means it isn’t final, but this confirms that some Blob-ness will be in the movie in some form or another.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine — directed by Gavin Hood (Rendition) with a screenplay by David Benioff (The Kite Runner) — will trace Wolverine’s past as he discovers the world of mutants and, ultimately, the ominous Weapon X program, which turns people into living weapons. The film hits theaters on May 1, 2009.
