Twentieth Century Fox had a good thing going for it with 'The Wolverine,' which is saying something, considering most comic book fans have at least a handful of issues with swallowing some of their other superhero properties (e.g. 'Fantastic Four,' an oddly looking Quicksilver in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'?). So with 'Wolverine 3' continuing the legacy of the adamantium-clawed badass on screen, director James Mangold will hopefully churn out another success for the studio, but how far in the future might we see this in theaters?

According to Mangold, who might not direct but has already committed to writing the script for 'Wolverine 3,' stated in response to a fan question on Twitter that the next film will start shooting sometime after 'X-Men: Apocalypse,' the already in-development follow-up to 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' which we're guessing puts it at the end of 2016 or sometime in 2017.

Given the early stages of this project, Fox and Mangold are keeping most details under wraps, though we do know that 'Wolverine 3,' much like how 'The Wolverine' was based on the Chris Claremont story arc of Logan as the wandering ronin, will be based on an existing comic book storyline. Hugh Jackman, who will be suiting up as Wolverine for the seventh time on screen in Bryan Singer's 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' is excited about the script so far, though at this time it's unclear if he will return to portray the character yet again in 'Wolverine 3.'

'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' which was teased in the 'Wolverine' post-credits scene, will hit theaters this May 23, with 'Apocalypse' slated for release on May 27, 2016. Singer recently stated that this film will be set in the '80s to be more of a sequel to 'X-Men: First Class' than 'Future Past,' and it's also unknown whether Jackman will pop up in that film. "I don't know whether or not I will do this next movie," said the actor. "I have a very high expectation of what it would need to be ... and if it doesn't reach those, I won't be doing it."

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