Director Bryan Singer has confirmed that Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine in "X-Men: Days of Future Past," joining fellow original trilogy stars Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in the sequel to Fox's 2011 hit "X-Men: First Class." Word that the Australian actor was in negotiations for the film first surfaced late last month.

"I would officially like to welcome @RealHughJackman to the cast of #Xmen Days of Future Past," Singer wrote overnight on Twitter, the same platform he used in November to announce the involvement of Stewart and McKellen. "Very excited! More to come ..."

Jackman, who had a memorable cameo in "X-Men: First Class," recently wrapped production of director James Mangold's "The Wolverine." The extent of his role in "Days of Future Past" hasn't been revealed, but it's been suggested the three original-trilogy actors will spend limited time onscreen, most likely in scenes depicting a dystopian alternative future. It's unclear whether other original franchise stars like Halle Berry, James Marsden and Famke Janssen will also return.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" takes it name from the classic 1981 Marvel comics story by Chris Claremont and John Byrne that depicts a timeline created by the X-Men's failure to prevent the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating a U.S. senator. In that alternate future, the giant robotic Sentinels have become the de facto rulers of the United States, where mutants are hunted down and placed in internment camps. How much the movie will borrow from that seminal storyline is unclear, but Fox's new Marvel creative consultant Mark Millar teased in October that movie is "'X-Men' meets 'The Terminator.' You've got robots, you've got time travel, you've got superheroes -- it's got everything in one film."

Jackman joins confirmed returning stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" opens July 18, 2014.