News > Wolverine gets supporting cast, rumored cameos

Written by Lucas C Haberstich

This weekend's entwined news and rumors regarding the expansion of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine cast mirrors the obscurity of the clawed X-Man's comic book back story.  Appearances and cameos by characters from the X-Men stables have been promised from the project's start and we've begun to get a taste.  Here's the rundown:

* FilmSchoolRejects quotes a source inside the production as saying that an actor in a rubber suit has shot test footage as The Blob and that the immovable fatass would appear in the film.  Bravo for not going CGI with this one.

* JoBlo announced that Danny Huston (30 Days of Night) has joined the cast as Young William Stryker, the Weapon X program director played by Brain Cox in X2, younger due to this being a prequel.  I will admit that Huston bears some resemblance* to Cox, though that's hardly crucial for the purposes of the story being told.

* IESB reports that Lynn Collins (The Number 23) has beaten out both Maggie Q and Michelle Monaghan for the role of Wolverine's love interest, Silver Fox.  I can honestly say I've never seen Collins in anything, but she's got a lot to prove if she's cast over those two talented ladies.

* And finally, AICN is saying that Ryan Reynolds (Waiting…) will appear in the film as Wolverine's fellow Weapon X experiment Deadpool in at least a cameo capacity.  Deadpool is "a high-tech mercenary known for his wisecracks, black humor, and satirical pop-culture references".  Sounds like a fit for Reynolds, who expressed interest in playing the character a few months ago and really should.  A cameo here could lead to a spin-off for the "Merc with a mouth" a bit later.

It may take some time for some of these inclusions to be officially announced or denied and there will be many more rumors and updates to come so keep your eye on the 'wad to see who makes the final cut.  (spoiler: probably Wolverine). 

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, directed by Gavin Hood (Rendition), is set for theatrical release on May 1, 2009.  Hugh Jackman reprises the role of Wolverine he originated in the X-Men Trilogy.