X-Men fans celebrated the news that director James Mangold continued to round out the cast for the long-simmering sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine in preparation for an August start to production in Australia and Japan.
Deadline reported that Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada joined The Wolverine as Shingen, a master swordsman and a yakuza crime boss who disgraced his family by building a criminal empire. Sanada starred in the art-house hits The Twilight Samurai and The White Countess and recently wrapped roles in The Railway Man opposite Colin Firth and 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves.
Mangold, who won The Wolverine directing gig after Darren Aronofsky walked away from the film and beat out Gavin O'Connor and Antoine Fuqua, moved forward towards the shoot after delays from the Japanese tsunami pushed back production on the Christopher McQuarrie script with much of the story set around the Wolverine in Japan.
Reportedly, Jackman played an active role in choosing Mangold to helm The Wolverine.