February 8, 2012 10:35

'The Wolverine' confirmed for July 2013

Hugh Jackman's 'X-Men' sequel finally has a release date

The Wolverine has finally been given a release date of July 2013.

The sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine will see Hugh Jackman return to the role of mutant Logan, in the movie which has been beset by production delays and script rewrites.

It will now hit cinemas on July 2013 next year, according to the Hollywood Reporter. James Mangold is on board to direct.

The Wolverine will see Logan involved in a forbidden romance in Japan that brings him into conflict with the Silver Samurai, a shape-shifting mutant who has battled a wide array of characters from the Marvel universe including Spider-Man, Black Widow and Daredevil.

The release date will put the film into competition with the Dirty Dancing remake directed by Kenny Ortega, and Disney’s big-screen version of its hit Phineas And Ferb.

Jackman has appeared in all of the big-screen X-Men outings to date, including last year's prequel X-Men: First Class in which he made a cameo. But he has said of the story of The Wolverine that this is the movie has "been longing to make".