There was talk of an X-23 solo movie following the acclaim of Logan, but is this spinoff still in development? Scottish actor Dougray Scott was cast as Wolverine in 2000's X-Men after performers like Russell Crowe passed on the role. Unfortunately for Scott, filming overruns on Mission: Impossible II - where he played the main villain - forced him to drop out and a relative unknown named Hugh Jackman was cast instead. The impact the character had on the actor's career can't be understated, as his performance was praised and he quickly became a leading man in other blockbusters.
Hugh Jackman's commitment to Logan/Wolverine always shone through, and he wound up playing the part in a further eight movies and some video game spinoffs. After seventeen years he decided to exit with Logan, which was an emotional sendoff to his take on Wolverine. The story is set in a bleak future where mutants have been all but wiped out, and Logan is looking after an elderly Professor X (Patrick Stewart). Making his life more complex is the reveal of Dafne Keen as Laura - AKA X-23. She is the result of Essex Corp creating clones from Logan's DNA, which makes her Wolverine's daughter.
Logan received critical acclaim in 2017 and proved to be a fitting goodbye to Hugh Jackman's run. Dafne Keen was also praised for her work and the movie ends on a note that could set up more adventures for Laura, but is the planned X-23 movie still happening?
An X-23 Treatment Was Being Developed In 2017
While promoting Logan, director James Mangold spoke several times in interviews that an X-23 spinoff was very possible. During an October 2017 interview with Mangold, producer Hutch Parker and Hugh Jackman for THR, the director touched on the project once again, stating the success of that summer's Wonder Woman had opened studios up to the great potential of female-fronted superhero movies.
Mangold didn't go into specifics about what an X-23 movie would be about, though Parker commented it wouldn't necessarily be the same genre as Logan. At this time, Mangold was confirmed to be working on a treatment for the movie with Craig Kyle, who created the character.
The Fox/Disney Deal Likely Killed The X-23 Spinoff
While X-23 hasn't been officially declared dead, it's looking very doubtful now. Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in early 2019, it soon became clear Fox's take on the X-Men would be rebooted for the MCU. While Marvel's plans for their version of the X-Men has yet to be made clear, they will likely opt for a clean slate.
In a 2019 interview with The Playlist, James Mangold reaffirmed he was very interested in making an X-23 movie, but doubted it would happen "in the near future." The existence of a Laura solo movie within the MCU could possibly be explained via alternate timelines or universes, but there has been no talk of the spinoff happening at all.
Dafne Keen Cast Doubt On An X-23 Movie In 2020
While promoting His Dark Materials season 2 during an Elle interview, Dafne Keen spoke about the odds of an X-23 film. She stated she had been told by Fox following Logan's success that a spinoff could happen, but heard nothing else in years since. Keen also commented she would be more than ready to reprise the part, should the project ever resurface.