Don't let the bone claws fool you -- The Wolverine isn't a prequel. So says director James Mangold in a new interview with Empire. It's also not exactly a reboot, because it still exists within the continuity (or what's left of it) of the X-Men films. As far as we can tell, The Wolverine will be a sequel to X-Men 3. So why the bone claws?

It may only be from the back, but this is our very first glimpse at The Wolverine's Silver Samurai!

ComicBookMovie has even more shots from the set, including Logan with non-cgi claws, Silver Samurai actor Will Yun Lee, and more.

No, it's not this month's cover of Men's Health -- it's the first official photo for The Wolverine.

The plot presumably sets Logan in Asia, on a perilous quest for body oil.

The Wolverine, the follow-up to 2009's critically-panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine is finally due to start shooting next week after several delays.

The film, directed by James Mangold (Knight and Day) and starring Hugh Jackman as Logan, will first shoot on location in Japan and then move to sound stage in Australia later this summer.

Word is that the film is based on the famous 1982 Wolverine limited series by Frank Miller and Chris Claremont, which took Wolvie to Japan for martial arts training and risky romance. Fox CEO Tim Rothman has promised that The Wolverine will take full advantage of local Japanese acting talent while on location.

The Wolverine slices into theaters July 26, 2013.

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A leaked poster purportedly seen in the office of The Wolverine director James Mangold seems to confirm that the sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine will be set in Japan.

The image originally hit the web via Instagram -- it's since been removed -- and hasn't been confirmed by either the director or the studio, so there's a possibility it's entirely fan-made. (And hey, it wouldn't be the first fake movie poster this week).

If it's authentic, it would lend credence to rumors that the movie will adapt a 1982 comic book arc by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller that had Logan visiting the Land of the Rising Sun, falling in love with a Yakuza crime family heiress, and battling ninjas.

The Wolverine, written by Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard) and starring Hugh Jackman, is currently scheduled for release on July 26, 2013.

[geeksofdoom]