I’m a huge Wolverine fan.  He is and always will be my favorite X-Man.  So much so, my son’s middle name is Logan.  (That’s everyone’s cue to yell FANBOY at their computer screens.) 

When I first saw Hugh Jackman on-screen as Wolverine, I said to myself YES!  Jackman’s casting as Wolverine ranks as one of the best in Hollywood in relation to super-hero comic book movies.  Christopher Reeve as Superman is by far the all-time best. 

Jackman was great in all three of the X-Men films (yes, I liked X-3.) and I looked forward to a solo Wolverine movie if they were to do one.  Well, next year I get my wish and Marvel.com has posted some stills from the upcoming movie.

I hate that the official title “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”.  Why not just go with Wolverine?  It’s like the new Captain America film will be called “First Avenger: Captain America”.  Why? 

Anyway the photos look good.  I don’t really see Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth, but he is an amazing actor and I think he can bring some acting chops to the role instead of the growling and grunting Tyler Mane did in the first one.  But at least he looked the part.

The photos include a scene from World War II with Logan and Sabertooth - I believe it shows them storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.  That’s very cool.  Since Wolverine and Sabertooth are supposed to age slowly, it’s obvious they were around during World War II.  I know in the comics Logan helped Cap during World War II, but I don’t know what Sabertooth did during that period in the comics.

Another photo shows the two of them tied to wooden posts in front of a firing squad and Logan escaping from a prison.  Weapon X? 

We also see a picture of Taylor Kitsch of the TV show “Friday Night Lights” as Gambit.  He pretty much looks the part.  I’ve never seen “Friday Night Lights” so I don’t know if Kitsch is a good actor.

The director of the upcoming film is a guy by the name of Gavin Hood.  He doesn’t have much of resume as an actor or as a director.  How he got this job, I don’t know.  The writer is David Benoiff .  He wrote the “Kite Runner” and “Troy”.  I never saw either of them, but I think both films have gotten mixed reviews.

So some unproven talent is at the helm here.  Am I worried?  Oh yes, but I’m worried about every comic book movie.  I was very worried about “Iron Man” before I started to hear the buzz that it was amazing. 

I love that Hugh Jackman keeps coming back to this character.  He has a successful career outside of these films, but he has stated in the past that he can keep playing Wolverine forever thanks to Logan’s aging process.  He wants the next Wolverine film to focus on Logan in Japan.  Hopefully The Hand and the Silver Samurai show up.  I think Jackman respects the comic book genre and the fact that this is what made him a superstar.  Not every actor in Hollywood thinks that way when it comes to characters that are forever connected to them. 

I would love the Wolverine movie to be on the same level as “Iron Man,” but I won’t hold my breath.  As long as I leave the theater with that same smile I had on my face when I first saw Hugh Jackman slice and dice as Wolverine, I’ll be happy.