Mark Bomback doing rewrites on The Wolverine; film will feature all-Japanese cast

Ugghhh...I don't like the sound of this at all. Variety reports that Mark Bomback, writer of next year's Total Recall remake, has been brought on to do a rewrite on Christopher McQuarrie's excellent script for The Wolverine. Why? I dunno. Like I said, practically everybody swears by what McQuarrie did, so what could be the deal?


The report also notes that the film, which director James Mangold will shoot mostly in Vancouver, will feature an all Japanese cast, with the obvious exception of star Hugh Jackman. The story will be based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's classic Japan set story in which Wolverine earns the honor and love of Mariko Yashida, daughter of a crime lord. He'll do battle with her half brother, The Silver Samurai, and in an interesting bit of new info there'll be an expanded role for Viper, leader of Hydra and constant thorn in Wolverine's side.

So perhaps it's to increase Viper's role that the rewrites are necessary? She's an important character in Wolverine's life, having been his mortal enemy, ally, and even his wife at one point(in one of the worst storylines ever). But I don't recall her playing much of a part if any in this particular story. I'm sure somebody who remembers it better than me will clue me in.  In the film she's described as the "Caucasian secretary for Japan’s Minister of Justice".

Nobody other than Jackman has been cast at this stage, but there's plenty of time as The Wolverine was recently pushed back to a potential fall start date.