A Single Script Page From 'Logan' Tells Us a Lot More Than You Would Expect

It may not feel like it, but Hugh Jackman's final turn as Wolverine comes out in six months. Oddly enough, the movie's been shrouded in secrecy from its very inception. Save for the release date, some casting announcements, and stray rumors, all plot details and characters have been kept tightly under wraps. Recently, Bryan Singer (sort of) confirmed Mr. Sinister as the villain, and we got a vague confirmation that "something" is coming soon.

Whether that day is today or not, we just learned a lot about the movie. Not only did Hugh Jackman confirm the title as Logan (a far cry from the rumors of Weapon X as the title), but director James Mangold also sent out a photo of the script. Or the second page of the script, that is. Take a look for yourself:

There's obviously a lot to take in here, so here's a quick breakdown:

The R-Rating Is Definitely in Play

We heard a rumor a while ago that The Wolverine sequel would be employing an R-rating, a la Deadpool. Fans rejoiced when the news was confirmed, as they could finally see the clawed mutant hack, slash, and brutally murder his foes. We don't see much in the way of violence in the script, but at the very top of the page Wolverine drops a simple (but elegant) F-bomb. Viewers should probably get used to it, because there's no doubt it'll be used dozens of times throughout the movie.

There's a lot of action hiding in the rest of the script.

There's a tantalizing message from the screenwriter just below the F-bomb, prefacing what's to come later in the script:

Now might be a good time to talk about the "fights" described in the next 100 or so pages. Basically, if you're on the make for a hyper choreographed, gravity defying, city-block destroying, CG fuckathon, this ain't your movie. In this flick, people will get hurt or killed when shit falls on them. They will get just as hurt or just as killed if they get hit with something big and heavy like, say, a car. Should anyone in our story have the misfortune to fall off a roof or out a window, they won't bounce. They will die.

That's music to any Wolverine fan's ears. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was lambasted for being a "hyper-choreographed, gravity-defying, city-block destroying, CG fuckathon", followed by TheWolverine, which was lambasted for not having enough action. Put short, it's what everyone who wasn't impressed with the previous two installments is looking for.

Wolverine's getting older — and weaker.

The script page also dumps some exposition about the protagonist on us, saying:

As for our hero, well, he's older now and it's clear that his abilities are no longer what they once were. He's fading on the inside and his diminished healing factor keeps him in a constant state of chronic pain — hence booze as a painkiller.

It's not too surprising, considering the movie takes place in the future, and even Wolverine ages (however slowly). It's interesting to see what the movie will make of his diminishing healing factor. Will we see a more careful Logan? The chances are pretty unlikely, considering the R-rating and promise of gruesome battles, but we do see him showing some restraint:

Guys, seriously... You don't wanna do this.

That restraint probably disappears in a matter of seconds when he's slicing people down, but it's an interesting side of Wolverine that we touched on in 2013.

The Bangers play a role (whatever it is).

They'd also been rumored for a while, but here we get confirmation that some version of the Bangers will appear. In the comics, they're a team of supervillains who used to go by the Nth Commandment. Their most prominent leader, Henry Akai (pictured above), doesn't seem to be attacking Wolverine in the script, but maybe he sent them to do his bidding?

Only to reveal himself as a much larger threat later on of, course. In the event they don't have a major role, they could just be serving as cannon fodder to remind audiences that Wolverine's not playing around this time.

The fight scenes are going to be chaotic.

We've been told the action scenes are going to be massive, explosive sequences, but it looks like they smaller scale battles are going to be just as breathtaking:

CROWBAR presses down JITTERS' gun as he moves to Logan. We hear a familiar SNIKT! as claws extend from Logan's hands.Crowbar THWACKS HIS SKULL. A metallic ring.Off balanced and pissed, Logan swings at them as they converge, but he's drunk and soon they are pounding him with knives and guns and fists and a Makita drill.

It's quite a thing to read, but just imagine witnessing it on an enormous screen. A drunk, enraged Hugh Jackman swinging at his enemies while they attack with knives, guns, and drills. Sufficed to say, it's going to be intense.

What does it all mean for the movie?

Today's script page was a weird one. It revealed a lot about the style and context of the movie, but didn't shed much light on the plot. Mr. Sinister (believed to be the antagonist), isn't anywhere to be found. Neither are Professor X or X-23. Despite what's missing, one concept is made clear: Wolverine is more vulnerable. He's old, weak, and tired. His healing factor is quickly diminishing, he's in constant pain, and he's a heavy drinker.

With this being the Jackman's final time in the role, and a replacement being introduced in the form of X-23, could we see the death of Wolverine? Only time will tell. Or, you know, a work-copy leak of the entire movie.