Movies

Check Out James Mangold's Portraits Of The 'Wolverine' Cast

By Angie Han

We've yet to see any actual footage from The Wolverine, but thanks to James Mangold's Twitter account we've gotten plenty of other material about the film. Over the past few months, the director has posted stills and set photos, revealed his inspirations, and taken us into the editing bay.

Today, he's sharing black and white portraits of the film's three leads (Hugh Jackman, Rila Fukushima, and Tao Okamoto), taken on the last day of production. Check them out after the jump.

Jackman needs no introduction, of course. Fukushima plays the formidable Yukio, and Okamoto Wolverine's love interest Mariko. Are there any secret clues about these characters hidden in these pensive portraits? Probably not. It's not even clear that the actors are in costume here. But it's a fun peek behind the curtain at the actors bringing this film to life, particularly as most of the marketing has focused primarily (and understandably) on Wolverine.

Now to wait for the trailer. Mangold has previously talked about trying to make The Wolverine a more emotional, character-driven, grounded type of superhero movie, and I can't wait to see if he succeeds. The Wolverine hits theaters in 3D on July 26. In addition to the trio above, Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi, and Brian Tee also star.

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

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