Will Female Wolverine X-23 Star In The 'X-Force' Movie?
After years in development hell, 20th Century Fox might finally be moving forward with its long-awaited X-Force film. The studio was kicking around the idea for an X-Force movie long before Deadpool's surprising success, but with Deadpool 2 already in the works, featuring an appearance from X-Force chief Cable, interest in the film has resurged. According to X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan Singer, X-Force conversations have in fact resumed -- and he has a few ideas, especially when it comes to Wolverine.
Given Hugh Jackman's forthcoming retirement from the X-Men franchise -- Jackson has confirmed that Wolverine 3 will be his last hurrah as the Marvel Comics hero -- Singer has proposed bringing Wolverine's female X-23 clone into the fray. "I actually initially pitched the X-Force and the female," Singer told Fandango.
X-23, known as Laura Kinney, made her debut in the animated series X-Men: Evolution before formally joining the Marvel Comics universe in 2004. She was part of a Weapon X off-shoot program, which gave her adamantium claws in her hands and feet. X-23 took over the Wolverine mantle last year in the series, All-New Wolverine.
Cloned from a damaged copy of Wolverine's genome, X-23 became a highly trained killing machine. She eventually made her way onto X-Force's black-ops team alongside her buddy Logan.
The X-Force is a strike team that evolved from New Mutants. Led by Cable (more on that guy here), the group sought to take a more proactive approach with mutant threats, often putting them at odds with Professor Xavier's more peaceful practices. If you're thinking Wolverine would be perfect for the X-Force, then you would be correct. Wolverine, Psylocke (entering this film universe in X-Men: Apocalypse), X-23, and even Deadpool have all been X-Force members.
So, by putting Cable in the Deadpool sequel, 20th Century Fox is inevitably laying the groundwork for a possible R-rated X-Force franchise. Though, Singer, who's only involved at the idea level, was careful to note that X-Force is currently "in the earliest script stage" at the hands of X-producer Simon Kinberg, adding, "so that’s kind of where that stands, and we'll see how it evolves."
Adding X-23 into the X-universe is a pretty solid plan. Not only would it keep Wolverine, arguably the most recognizable X-character, in the mix, but it also show the world just how badass Laura Kinney can be. She rocks that black winged mask better than Logan. Trust us.