By: Russ Burlingame on July 10, 2012
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the forthcoming Hugh Jackman-driven sequel The Wolverine has cast Japanese-American actors Will-Yun Lee and Brian Tee in key roles as villains in the film.
Director James Mangold apparently picked the two TV veterans to star opposite Jackman in the film, which will start filming later this month in Australia. Another article out today suggests that, contrary to recent reports, part of the film will still be filmed in Japan.
Tee, who was most recently seen in Grimm, will play Mariko’s fiance Noburo Mori, a corrupt minister of justice who’s standing between Wolverine and his beloved. Lee (of Hawaii Five-O fame) will play Mariko’s half-brother Harada, the Silver Samurai, a villain who played a key role in the ’80s and ’90s Wolverine stories upon which the movie is drawing heavily.
The film itself is reportedly based on the original Wolverine miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, and will take place mostly or entirely in Japan. A number of other characters were cast in the last few days, according to SuperHero Hype (via Bleeding Cool), including Hal Yamanouchi as Mariko’s father and Lost veteran Hiroyuki Sanada as Shingen, who is presumably a bad guy based on Sanada’s past roles alone.
The Wolverine should be in theaters on July 26, 2013.
