‘Wolverine 3’ Title Confirmed ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’: First 15 Set Photos Show A Young X-23?

Wolverine 3 will be Hugh Jackman’s last run with the claws and the film may just have finally gotten a title: Wolverine: Weapon X , or just Weapon X for short. The rumor originated via GameZone , but now it looks like Fox has registered the domain WolverineWeaponX.com. The tentative title seems quite plausible, considering the influence of the original 1991 Marvel Comics Presents story arc of the same name.

Currently filming under the alias ‘Juarez’ in New Orleans, Just Jared snagged 16 set photos of Wolverine 3 . A few show a young girl who may just fit the description of the casting call above. Could this be our first look at X-23? Check out all 15 photos here to see Patrick Stewart’s Professor X being pushed around by and old, disheveled looking Hugh Jackman.

The Hashtag Show came across a Fox casting call (which should be taken with a grain of salt), but sounds a lot like Laura Kinney, aka X-23.

[ZOE] 11 to 14 year-old girl. Still a child, but a wounded badass, a pound puppy, raised in captivity in a time of battle, without support systems of normal childhood. She has no family and until now, has neverleft the compound in which she was born. She has an authentic intensity – her expressions & body language speak volumes, without words. Once released in the outside world, everything is new – every experience and every image a first. This does not mean everything is wonderful or wondrous. Some things she sees (things we might regard as conventional) may scare her or anger her and things we may find interesting may bore her. She has not been instructed in many social conventions – she can eat like an animal. She studies and often mimics people’s behavior. She has a high IQ, but is also a temperamental, impulsive and feral creature that can raise genuine mayhem. She is a girl that has never been kissed. Looking for a REAL girl - not made up or done up. Also with genuine edge, not made up or put on. Martial arts or gymnastics experience preferred but not necessary – but actress must be extremely physical and able to improvise scenes without necessarily resorting to speech. Do NOT play it “cute".

Unfortunately, the set photos don’t confirm the identities of Wolverine 3 ’s two villains played by Boyd Holbrook ( Narcos ) and Richard E. Grant ( Jekyll & Hyde ). Grant is rumored to bring Mister Sinister to life, and Holbrook is thought to be the commander of the Reavers, a team of villainous cyborgs.

It’s no coincidence Weapon X was touched on in X-Men:Apocalypse . Hugh Jackman was even sporting Weapon X traditonal get up… helmet, wires, tubes and all. The post-credits scene also teased a connection to Nathaniel Essex, one of the earliest scientists involved in the Weapon X program. At the end of Apocalypse , a man retrieves vials of leftover Wolverine blood labelled Weapon X and puts them in labelled ESSEX CORP.

Nathaniel Essex, aka Mister Sinister, is a genius scientist obsessed with the Summers genetic line. Mister Sinister is responsible for the birth of Nathan Summers (aka Cable). He created a clone of Jean Grey (aka Madelyne Pryor) to breed with Scott Summers (aka Cyclops). Apocalypse and Sinister are allies at first, but it's later revealed Mister Sinister actually created Cable to make a mutant powerful enough to destroy him.

Using his celestial technology, Apocalypse aided Essex’s transformation into Mr. Sinister. The human mutate has a variety of powers, including telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, shapeshifting and molecular regeneration.

The existence of Essex certainly appears to corroborate the tentative title, but Wolverine 3 can’t just be another origin story. That’s where Old Man Logan comes in.

Wolverine 3 was originally rumored to follow the Old Man Logan arc, a direction both Hugh Jackman and the creative team have teased multiple times. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s 2008-2009 story is set more than 50 years in the future, in a world where heroes don’t exist and supervillains rule. After an army of supervillains attacks the X-Mansion, Wolverine slaughters them all to protect the younger mutants. Come to find out, it was all an illusion created by Mysterio. The people he killed weren't the bad guys, they were the very mutants he swore to protect. He throws away his old ‘Wolverine’ persona and wanders across the land trying to deal with the consequences of his actions. In this dystopian society, he refuses to use his claws until the very end when he decides to seek vengeance.

The existence of Wolverine’s origin in Weapon X and future in Old Man Logan will bring Logan’s character development full circle, which begs the question, how will the X-Men franchise continue without Hugh Jackman as the famous clawed beast? His role will be taken by none other than X-23. Also known as Laura Kinney, X-23 is a clone created using a partial genetic sample of Wolverine (aka Weapon X) DNA. Mister Sinister didn't create her, but the Apocalypse's post-credits and future events in Wolverine 3, could explain how Dr. Martin Sutter get's ahold of Weapon X's DNA. It may be a stretch, but considering Jackman's on his way out and she has Bryan Singer’s stamp of approval, it'd be a perfect time for X-23's official introduction into the franchise. Someone has to take the reins as the new Wolverine.

The exact Weapon X title will reportedly be confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con. Also expect a poster and some fresh footage according to Game Zone . Wolverine 3 hits theaters March 3, 2017.