Secrets of ‘The Wolverine’ Revealed: What Can We Expect from The Sequel?

As we told you yesterday, 'The Wolverine' star Hugh Jackman and director James Mangold took part in a live chat to address fan questions and concerns regarding the upcoming sequel. Naturally, we were prepared for the duo to keep most of the film's secrets close to the vest, but thankfully there were quite a number of interesting revelations during the discussion to get geeks adequately prepared for next summer's superhero epic. Find out more after the break!

First of all, Mangold reiterated the reports that 'The Wolverine' is indeed a sequel to the 'X-Men' films. "The X-Men" are gone, Jean Grey is gone, a lot of his ties to the world are gone," he said. "Almost every intimate connection to the world is either gone or broken."

Jackman seemed all too happy to move on: “Enough with the 'What is my past? 'Who am I?' questions," the actor said. "We've explored that, it's more like the future. 'How do I live with myself? How do I live with all the knowledge I have and [every thing that's] happened?'"

Jackman continued to delve into Logan's psyche:

 Logan comes into it, very much the tragic hero. Everybody that's meant anything to him is gone, a lot of which he blames on himself.  The movie's called 'The Wolverine' and what we talked about was we really wanted this movie, better than ever before, to encapsulate that character. It's meant in every way, physically, emotionally, I had to go further. You have to see him lower, more desperate, more at stake then ever before."

Mangold compared 'The Wolverine' to the Clint Eastwood classic 'The Outlaw Josey Wales,' a film in which Eastwood sees his family murdered early on, setting up his course for retaliation.

And the reason why I kept thinking about it is how neatly and concisely the set-up of that film set Clint off on a journey that was built on loss and rage. Not just depression and disillusionment, but a kind of quest for some kind of revenge. That aspect of darkness was an integral part of the Marvel legacy. And it's easier to develop when you're not dealing with a team or a squad, you can really get into Logan's shoes."

Other films 'The Wolverine' might draw comparisons to? Why, those "realistic" 'Bourne' and 'Dark Knight' movies, of course! Mangold said that, "['The Wolverine'] is a tentpole movie, there’s outrageous action, but also in the family and the world of the ‘Bourne’ films or the ‘Dark Knight’ films or in films where it’s not necessarily about blowing up planet earth, but much more earthbound."

But why read it when you can watch it! Check out the entire 22-minute chat below. (Kudos to The Playlist for transcribing portions of the interview.)