The Fox's X-Men universe is a complicated place, with the original trilogy crossing paths with the First Class generation in May's X-Men: Days of Future Past. And the there's Wolverine, who has his own franchise to consider.

We're talking about The Wolverine, the Hugh Jackman-starring film that clawed into theaters last summer. It was enough of a critical and commercial hit that Fox has tapped director James Mangold to come up with a follow-up, presumably continuing the stories and themes carved out in the 2013 blockbuster.

But when can we expect Mangold and Jackman to reunite for a new Wolverine movie? According to the director himself, it's going to be a little while. Mangold tackled the question on Twitter over the weekend, promising we won't see his next Wolverine picture until after X-Men: Apocalypse, Bryan Singer's planned Days of Future Past follow-up.

@R__E__D_R__U__M @20centuryfox @ShuDonner We are figuring it all out. At the moment, I'm shooting The next #Wolverine after #XmenApocalypse.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) March 15, 2014

 

If that's the case, then we won't see another Wolverine until after Apocalypse hits in 2016 — making 2017 or 2018 the likeliest bets.

(via Collider)