From the get-go, Logan has been angled as Wolverine’s last hurrah, and 20th Century Fox’s marketing campaign has so far done a standup job of ushering in the end of an era. But as one door closes, another opens, as the old saying goes, and just as Hugh Jackman’s iconic X-Men character prepares to unsheathe those adamantium claws one last time, Dafne Keen is about to be introduced as the new mutant on the block.
Keen plays Laura (AKA X-23) in James Mangold’s R-rated actioner, and from the moment Fox started hosting test screenings of Logan prior to release, it didn’t take long for critics to reach a consensus: Dafne Keen is a natural scene-stealer as the moody young mutant. Taken under Wolverine’s wing – rather reluctantly, we might add – Keen’s reticent mutant is the one to force Hugh Jackman’s grizzled Logan out of his self-imposed exile, and the father-daughter relationship that evolves between the two is arguably the beating heart of James Mangold’s accomplished thriller.
In fact, the writer-director has even went so far as to say that he’d get behind the lens again to craft an X-23 spinoff movie. Still no update on that front just yet, but during a recent Facebook Q&A – the same Q&A in which Hugh Jackman shot down reports of a Wolverine/Deadpool crossover movie – Mangold admitted that he’d be “shocked” if Dafne Keen’s character wasn’t further explored in a future X-Men movie.
“Expect is a big word. I think Dafne is a remarkable actress and I think she does an incredible job with this role. Personally, I would be shocked if we don’t look into trying to develop that character further.”
Logan opens on March 3rd, just don’t waste time hanging around after the credits roll. Curious to know how James Mangold’s threequel fared in our review? Click through here to find out (spoilers: it’s excellent).