Logan Left Fox Very Concerned Over Its Dark Tone According To Studio Chairman

In a few weeks, Hugh Jackman will don his famous Wolverine claws for the last time. The actor will [...]

By Megan Peters - February 14, 2017 09:23 pm EST

In a few weeks, Hugh Jackman will don his famous Wolverine claws for the last time. The actor will end his tenure playing the X-Men when Logan hits theaters in March, and fans are already anticipating the film to see Jackman off with a bang. The response to the project's trailers have been largely positive, and 20th Century Fox is surely happy for that. After all, Logan does mark a massive departure from traditional superhero blockbusters, and the studio's chairman recently confirmed the movie caused plenty of internal concerns.

As reported by Variety, Stacey Snider detailed the studio's apprehension to let Logan carry a darker tone during a media conference.

"Inside, there was real consternation about the intensity of the tone of the film," she explained. "It's more of an elegy about life and death. The paradigm for it was a Western, and my colleagues were up in arms. It's not a wise-cracking cigar-chomping mutton-sporting Wolverine, and the debate internally became, isn't that freakin' boring? Isn't it exciting to imagine Wolverine as a real guy and he's world-weary and he doesn't want to fight anymore until a little girl needs him?"

Of course, fans will be playing attention to Logan if only because it is Jackman's last entry in the X-Men Cinematic Universe. The film's elevated rating will also surely bring audiences into theaters given the success of Deadpool last year. Slapped with an R-rating, Logan is set to see Wolverine off with a gritty farewell that will leave fans breathless if not a bit teary.

In 2024 the mutant population has shrunk significantly and the X-Men have disbanded. Logan, whose power to self-heal is dwindling, has surrendered himself to alcohol and now earns a living as a chauffeur. He takes care of the ailing old Professor X whom he keeps hidden away. One day, a female stranger asks Logan to drive a girl named Laura to the Canadian border. At first he refuses, but the Professor has been waiting for a long time for her to appear. Laura possesses an extraordinary fighting prowess and is in many ways like Wolverine.

She is pursued by sinister figures working for a powerful corporation; this is because her DNA contains the secret that connects her to Logan. A relentless pursuit begins … In this third cinematic outing featuring the Marvel comic book character Wolverine we see the superheroes beset by everyday problems. They are ageing, ailing and struggling to survive financially. A decrepit Logan is forced to ask himself if he can or even wants to put his remaining powers to good use. It would appear that in the near-future, the times in which they were able put the world to rights with razor sharp claws and telepathic powers are now over.

Logan stars Hugh Jackman (Logan), Boyd Holbrook (Donald Pierce), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Dafne Keen (Laura Kinney/X-23), Doris Morgado (Maria), Stephen Merchant (Caliban), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Gabriela), and Richard E. Grant (Dr. Zander Rice). James Mangold is directing and helped on the screenplay along with Scott Frank and Michael Green.