Speculation is building in MCU fandom about a potential Logan 2 movie featuring Hugh Jackman, leading many to wonder if the new film will be released in 2024.
Logan 2 with Hugh Jackman Teased for 2024 Release
A fan-made trailer is building speculation that Disney and Marvel Studios are planning to release a sequel to 2017's Logan, which brought Hugh Jackman's most recent appearance as James Logan/Wolverine.
Coming from the KH Studios YouTube channel, the trailer teased a meeting between Wolverine and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, with the popular mutant being brought back from the dead after Strange seeks him out for a meeting. The trailer also features footage of Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool.
Following Logan's release in 2017, director James Mangold touched on the idea of Logan 2 or a spin-off, telling The Hollywood Reporter in October 2017 that he was "just working on a script" for a spin-off featuring X-23.
Following up on this, Mangold addressed the success fans saw in Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman in June 2017, with that film showing studios that there was "less to fear with a female protagonist" at that time:
"Patty [Jenkins]'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."
Unfortunately, Mangold shared with Yahoo in 2019 that this spin-off would not be happening, indicating that Marvel was focused on figuring out "where they're going in the future" with Wolverine:
"I think it's probably – at least in the near time – gone, until I hear different,” he revealed. With Hugh [Jackman] moving on, I think they're going to be more interested in trying to figure out where they're going in the future with these characters in general, and with Wolverine in specific."
He also expressed to Variety in 2023 his wishes that the conversation about the story continuing didn't end, understanding that Marvel was going to do as much as it could with the character after gaining the rights to the X-Men:
"I can’t say that there’s a part of me that doesn’t wish that we’d let it be. But there was always going to be another Wolverine. There could be a baby Wolverine and a cartoon Wolverine. As much liquid as they can squeeze out of that rag, they’re going to try to. I don’t measure my success on a movie like 'Logan' with whether we ended the conversation. I ended my conversation."
As for the trailer itself, it can be debunked as fake.
The 74-second video splices together footage of Jackman from both the original Logan film and 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Also included are clips featuring more Multiversal story threads from Marvel Studios' Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, including Patrick Stewart's introduction into the MCU.
Will Logan 2 Ever Happen?
At this point, Logan 2 does not appear to be on Marvel Studios' radar for development, meaning it certainly is not going to be released in 2024.
But thankfully, all hope is not lost for Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine, which is already confirmed to take place under the MCU umbrella when he brings James Howlett back into the spotlight in Marvel Studios' Deadpool 3.
Jackman is said to be playing a co-leading role in Deadpool 3 alongside Reynolds, with this threequel giving the legacy star a huge spot in the MCU the way fans have wanted for years.
This threequel is rumored to be part of a swan song run for Jackman, with many believing rumors that he'll be done playing Wolverine for good after appearing one last time in Avengers: Secret Wars.
But while Logan 2 seems to be dead in the water, Jackman's first appearance in the MCU is already building substantial hype, especially with Deadpool 3 being Marvel Studios' only movie to debut this year.
Logan is now streaming on Disney+. Deadpool 3 is then set to release in theaters on July 26.