X-Men Origins: Wolverine (HBO)

About X-Men Origins: Wolverine

This superhero film, released in 2009, is the fourth installment in the X-Men series. It tells the story of Wolverine (Logan) from his violent past and early encounters with major X-Men characters to his involvement with the Weapon X program. Wolverine, seeking revenge against his half-brother Sabertooth for the death of his girlfriend, gets more than he bargained for when his quest leads him to the manipulative Colonel Stryker.

Making / Production

The movie was directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Hugh Jackman, and John Palermo. It was filmed on location in New Zealand, Australia, New Orleans, and Canada. Visual effects were created by several different studios including Rising Sun Pictures, Cinesite, and Weta Digital.

Actors

• Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine: Jackman continues to give a compelling performance as the clawed mutant with a traumatic past.
• Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed / Sabretooth: Schreiber brings a menacing presence to the role of Wolverine's half-brother and nemesis.
• Danny Huston as William Stryker: Huston plays the manipulative military leader who tricks Wolverine into the Weapon X program.
• Lynn Collins as Kayla Silverfox: Collins portrays Wolverine's love interest who tragically dies, sparking Wolverine’s quest for revenge.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• This was the first solo Wolverine movie in the X-Men series.
• Hugh Jackman gained an additional 20 pounds of muscle for this role by following a strict diet and work out regimen.
• It took almost 6 hours each day to apply Liev Shreiber's Sabretooth makeup and prosthetics.

Awards

The film received several nominations including Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie: Action and Adventure, and Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure for Hugh Jackman.

Quotes

• "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice." - Wolverine
• "We're not like them... we're not animals!" - Kayla Silverfox

Music / Soundtrack

• Score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, known for other blockbuster scores including those for "The Martian" and "Shrek".
• Featured songs include "Carousel Ride" by Rumblefish and "Tick Tick Boom" by The Hives.