THE WOLVERINE Will Be Shot in Australia

Hugh Jackman is going home.  It was announced today, per The Daily Telegraph, that Sydney, Australia has landed the rights to host the production of The Wolverine.  Though originally the film was set to shoot in Japan where much of the story takes place, a director change and the devastating tsunami/earthquake in Japan may be to blame for the location swap.  After plenty of setbacks, director James Mangold is now at the helm and filming is set to get underway later this year after Jackman wraps Les Miserables.

Jackman was born in Sydney, and The Wolverine is set to generate about $80 million in production costs, 720 cast and crew jobs, and 2000 extras jobs for the Sydney economy.  It’s worth noting that the previous film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was also shot in Australia.  Though plot details are scarce besides the Japan setting, Jackman previously revealed that he and Mangold were toying with the idea of shooting both PG-13 and R-rated versions of the film.  We haven’t heard anything on the rating since, but hopefully that’s still the case.  The Wolverine is slated to open on July 26th, 2013.