While the X-Men film franchise certainly plays host to dozens of unforgettable characters, one man has always seemed to stand above them all on the popularity chart: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). The exact reasons for this can - and have been - extensively debated, but it doesn’t change the fact that Wolverine is the pretty clear star of the X-Men movie universe. As evidence, he’s the only X-Men character besides Deadpool to get his own solo adventures on the big-screen, with James Mangold’s Logan next on the list.

Inspired by the famous Old Man Logan storyline from the pages of Marvel Comics - written by Mark Millar and pencilled by Steve McNiven - that ran from 2008-2009, Logan sees the return of the aforementioned Mangold, who directed the 2013 Jackman solo effort The Wolverine. This time out, Mangold is not only directing, but actually co-wrote the screenplay alongside Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049) and Scott Frank (co-writer of The Wolverine).

Recently, 20th Century Fox has screened the first 40 minutes of Logan at a few locations around the U.S., to mostly quite positive reactions from those in attendance. It turns out that one of those thrilled with Logan’s first act is Scott Derrickson, director of Marvel Studios’ latest MCU blockbuster Doctor Strange. In a recent tweet, Derrickson absolutely raved about what he had seen, and expressed immense optimism for Logan’s final product. Check out his social media sentiments below.

Just saw the first 40 minutes of James Mangold’s LOGAN and it’s fucking fantastic. Now expecting this to be the best X-Men movie.— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) December 11, 2016

Were Derrickson to have simply predicted that Logan would be the best Wolverine movie to date, it really wouldn’t have been that lofty of a proclamation, all things considered. In fact, 2008’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s terrible reputation preceeds it at this point – although to be fair, the majority of the insults against that one have never been directed at Jackman. The Wolverine was definitely a huge step up by all accounts, although it was still by no means universally beloved by either critics or fans.

On the other hand, Derrickson suggesting that Logan will be the best X-Men movie to date sets a very high bar for it to clear indeed, with films like X2: X-Men United, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and even Deadpool standing as some of the most widely praised entries in the entire superhero movie canon. Can Logan pull off such a feat? It’s too early to tell, but if insanely positive early reactions like Derrickson’s are anything to go by, it certainly has a chance.

Source: Scott Derrickson

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