Chances are, even if she shows up in 'Wolverine,' Storm won't be in the form fans recognize

Credit: Marvel

I've been getting a barrage of mail today from people asking me to weigh in on the latest rumbles from the post-production process on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."  Seems there is a piece of an interview that went up over at Widescreen Vision, which appears to be a foreign DVD site, where Lauren Shuler-Donner said that Storm's cameo had been cut from the film.  Evidently, she showed up in a scene set in her village when she was very young.  Shuler-Donner also referred to the film as "waaaay under two hours."

Neither of those statements appears to be accurate at the moment.  The movie's current running time (and keep in mind, they are in post right now, mixing the reels, tweaking the ending, and things are still in flux to some extent) is pretty much right at two hours.  Maybe a few minutes under.  But there is a strong chance the Storm scene has made it back into the film, according to my source, as one of the many last-minute changes that director Gavin Hood has made while working with producers to nail the film down.

[more after the jump]

Considering how all over "X-Men 3" and "X-Men 2" I was during production, some people have privately railed at me for not giving "Wolverine" the same kind of scrutiny.  Honestly, at this point, either the film will work, or it won't, but me doing in-depth reportage on a Fox movie's development drama is a broken record.  I think their system is broken.  Deeply, deeply broken.  Good movies occasionally stumble out of the studio, confused about how they escaped unmolested, but the only thing that happens when I write about Fox is fanboys get angry.  Nothing else changes.  I decided to sit "Wolverine" out completely, no matter what got e-mailed to me, and I've been happier for it.  I like Gavin Hood.  Hell, I think "Tsotsi" is amazing.  And I wish the entire creative team well with the final product.  This is pretty much their last shot at keeping this franchise viable, and I certainly don't want to see an industry where there's no room for new "X-Men" films in the future.  But right now, as each day gets closer and closer to a locked final cut, there's very little fans are going to do by getting up in arms, and Shuler-Donner's comments are being overblown.  If the Storm cameo is important to you, and you're one of the people who is livid today because of the possibility of her not being in the film, feel free to relax and sit back, because I have a feeling you'll be happy when the film finally opens on May 1st.

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