February 2008 | blackfilm.com | features | X-Men Origins: Wolverine casting news

X-Men Origins: Wolverine casting news
Will.i.am Set To Make Film Debut In 'Wolverine' as John Wraith

February 20, 2008

On the heels on other sources (Aintitcoolnews.com, Superherohype.com, and IESB.net) scooping the normal trades (Variety, The Hollywood Reporter) on the casting of Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds, and Taylor Kitsch in the film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Variety has confirmed that Will.i.am is also board. That's right folks! The frontman of hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas, will play John
Wraith, a mutant with the power to turn himself translucent.

According to the bio listed on several comic book websites, Wraith, AKA Krestel, is a mutant who has the power to teleport, and is another test subject of the Weapon X program that created Wolverine and other mercenaries.

"Wolverine," set 17 years before the "X-Men" movies, traces the origins of the popular mutant superhero.

Ryan Reynolds is making a cameo in the tentpole film being directed by Gavin Hood.

Huston, who most recently appeared in "30 Days of Night," is playing Stryker, the military general who subjected Wolverine to the experiment that laced his bones with an unbreakable metal called adamantium. Brian Cox played the character in "X2: X-Men United."

Kitsch, one of the stars of NBC's "Friday Night Lights," is playing Gambit, a Cajun thief whose powers include the manipulation of kinetic energy, which allows him to use card-throwing to deadly effect.

Collins ("The Number 23") will play as Kayla Silverfox, Wolverine's lover and a member of Team X, a superpowered covert ops team.

Reynolds, onscreen in "Definitely, Maybe," will appear as Deadpool, a wisecracking mercenary.

Liev Schreiber already has been cast as Victor Creed, a mutant with bestial superpowers who also is known as Sabretooth.

Production began this month in New Zealand before moving to Australia. A New Orleans shoot also is on the docket. Fox is releasing the film everywhere May 1, 2009.

David Benioff wrote the screenplay. Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter are producing, along with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner, John Palermo. Marvel Films' Kevin Feige is executive producing