‘The Wolverine’ script rewrite about 85% same as original.

After a few bumps in the road, THE WOLVERINE is looking to finally begin filming next year for a potential 2013 release. With James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Knight & Day) taking over directing duties for original director Darren Aronofsky, script changes were to be expected. It was reported last month that screenwriter Mark Momback was brought on board to rewrite the original script by Christopher McQuarrie.

Star and producer Hugh Jackman recently spoke with Collider about this, and says about 85% of the screenplay remains the same:

“We had a script that was under Darren Aronofsky’s directorial—it’s 85 percent the same. Darren took it in a Darren Aronofsky way and it’s a version I know fans would have liked to have seen – I would have loved to have seen it. James Mangold’s version of the script brought Mark Bomback on. We always had a strong base there. This is the best script we have had, which is precisely why Darren signed on. I tried to get Darren to do X3 and Wolverine and he was always like, ‘It’s not really for me.’ I knew he was looking for a comic book movie and he read this one and he goes, ‘Hey, this is the best one I’ve ever read.’ So there is a lot of meat on the bone there. Now, Mark and Jim have taken it and I think that it as strong, if not stronger, than what we would have had with Darren.”

The film will follow Logan as he treks Japan and falls in love with a woman whose hand has already been promised to another. The claws come out when Logan finds himself in an all-out battle after her father summons the Silver Sammurai and other powerful legends of the X-Men universe to take him out.