Does This "Wolverine 3" Casting Call Confirm X-23?

CBR

By Anthony Couto

Published Jun 10, 2016

A new casting call provides details for a character that sounds similar to Wolverine's clone from the comics.

A newly revealed casting call potentially reveals the presence of X-23 -- Wolverine's teenage female clone -- in "Wolverine 3." If true, X-23 would be making her live-action debut in the film.

The Hashtag Show spotted the following casting call for the film, which is currently shooting in New Orleans (with several set pics to prove it):

20th Century Fox are seeking a a 11 - 14 year old girl to play the role of Zoe in a brand new movie!! [ZOE] 11 to 14 year-old girl. Still a child, but a wounded badass, a pound puppy, raised in captivity in a time of battle, without support systems of normal childhood.

She has no family and until now, has never left the compound in which she was born. She has an authentic intensity - her expressions and body language speak volumes, without words. Once released in the outside world, everything is new - every experience and every image a first. This does not mean everything is wonderful or wondrous. Some things she sees (things we might regard as conventional) may scare her or anger her and things we may find interesting may bore her. She has not been instructed in many social conventions - she can eat like an animal. She studies and often mimics people's behavior. She has a high IQ, but is also a temperamental, impulsive and feral creature that can raise genuine mayhem. She is a girl that has never been kissed. Looking for a REAL girl - not made up or done up. Also with genuine edge, not made up or put on. Martial arts or gymnastics experience preferred but not necessary - but actress must be extremely physical and able to improvise scenes without necessarily resorting to speech. Do NOT play it 'cute.

The description is a departure from much of what we understand about X-23, but there are some key details that hint at a possible connection. In addition to the character's age -- which checks out -- the description of a "wounded badass...raised in captivity...[with] authentic intensity...like an animal...extremely physical," suggest a character that has some similarities to X-23.

The Wolverine clone first appeared on the "X-Men: Evolution" animated series, before becoming a major player in the comics. Currently, X-23 carries the mantle of Wolverine in her own series from Marvel Comics.

So far, we know "Wolverine 3" will be R-rated, set in the future and have a Western feel. Other rumors suggest that the film will adapt Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's "Old Man Logan" storyline, with the mutant-hating Donald Pierce and his cyborg assassins the Reavers as the villains.

Directed by James Mangold, and starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant and Elise Neal, "Wolverine 3" is slated for a March 3, 2017 release.