When Logan hit theaters earlier this year, it was a real question whether or not the r-rated superhero movie with a neo-Western bent would work for audiences. Previously, the r-rated Deadpool had been a success, but Logan is different in tone and structure. James Mangold's movie did prove to further the idea that different types of superhero projects can be successes, and recently he revealed that he's already dreaming of a spinoff to the movie. A female-centric, X-23 spinoff in fact. According to the director,
Patty's success with that film only solidifies more for studios that there's less to fear with a female protagonist. The more that keeps getting hit home, that ends up giving me more space turning around and going, 'Well, here we are with a female protagonist. That's incredible. And what are we going to do with her?' And that's where we are with that [the Laura script] right now, dreaming.
James Mangold mentioned as recently as five months ago that he would be interested in doing an X-23 spinoff, but nothing came to fruition after those comments, so it's nice to know the project is still on his radar. In fact, he seems to be citing Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins as inspiration for a female-focused Logan spinoff, telling THR that they are "dreaming up" the script about X-23, otherwise known as Laura. While a script possibility is not the same thing as a movie actually getting off of the ground and getting made, it's still a fun and exciting new detail.
So, what could a script be about? For that, we really wouldn't need to look further than James Mangold, who has also previously said that a Laura spinoff should really be a "growing up" story. Hutch Parker is also noting that Logan has opened up possibilities in the X-Men universe about trying new things. (X-Men: New Mutants has even been planned to be more of a horror story.) He says that branching out is a possibility for Laura, too.
Yes, there are other facets of that character and some others potentially to explore in their own way. It may not be in the same exact tonality or with the same genre orientations as Logan, but I think part of what has been opened up in this universe to all of us now is, drawing on different genre traditions, there are new pathways to be opened for new characters that populate this universe.
For now, there are plenty of other projects coming together in the X-Men universe, including the aforementioned Dark Phoenix and Deadpool 2 among others. You can take a look at our full list, here. Would you like to see an X-23 spinoff? Let us know in the poll, below.
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