Earlier today, 20th Century Fox held a special preview for members of the New York press, where they got to see early footage from some of next year’s most highly-anticipated movies,Logan(June 27, 2025),Alien: Covenant(August 19, 2025) andWar For the Planet of the Apes(August 01, 2025). Of all these movies, the studio revealed the most fromLogan, with the press shown the first 40 minutes of the film, or the entire first act. We’ve assembled a number of tweets from press members sent out after theLoganfootage was shown, and it seems clear thatDafne Keen’sX-23was a big hit with this crowd.
Probably most important to fans who have been waiting for an R-rated Wolverine movie is that this sequel holds the promise of a very graphic and bloody outing. Mike Ryan of Uproxx says Logan is “VERY violent. Very much rated R”. He goes onto compare it to the classic Clint Eastwood movie The Gauntlet. The Playlist also hails the movie for its ‘bloody, primal’ vibe saying it’s the movie that fans always wanted. The site goes onto claim that it “feels more like a standalone X-Men movie, more Western and lone samurai film with faint traces of x-superhero mold.”
Entertainment Weeklywas the first to bring word of the event, with the response being called largely positive. Although some remain wary of the film. IndieWire’sKate Erblandrevealed she was “cautious” onLogan, while Uproxx’sMike Ryanfurther stated how “old and sad” bothWolverine(Hugh Jackman) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) are, which was depressing, but he “loved it.” Inverse’sJordan Zakarineven took a shot at DC directorZack Snyder, claiming that the filmmaker “wishes he could make a movie as dark and gritty” asLogan.
While not all of these critics mentioned X-23, the ones who did seemed to love thismutant character. Entertainment Weekly’sNick Romanoclaimed that X-23 is his “new Eleven,” referencing theStranger Thingscharacter played byMillie Bobby Brown. Fandango’sErik Davisclaimed the footage is, “all about that little girl,” while SlashFilm’sAngie Hansays X-23, “steals every scene she’s in.” DirectorJames Mangoldwas also reportedly on hand for the event, revealing that his influences for this movie are quite vast, mentioning the indie comedyLittle Miss Sunshine, the indie dramaThe Wrestlerand the 1977Clint EastwoodfilmThe Gauntlet.
These reactions come just hours after a new photo revealed thatRichard E. Grantis actually playing the iconic Dr.Zander Rice. In the comics, Zander Rice is one of the men who essentially created X-23, a mutant clone who was created from Wolverine’s blood. It remains to be seen how large of a role Dr. Zander Rice will have inLogan, which is partially inspired by the iconic Old Man Logan comics. In those comics, Logan loses his mutant healing abilities and finally starts to age.
We have seen in the poster and several photos thatHugh Jackman’s character now has a number of scars all over his body, which never happened before with his mutant healing abilities. DirectorJames Mangoldteased that, while he still has his healing powers, they have diminished, and now he has scars in each place he has healed himself. The supporting cast forLoganincludesStephen Merchantas Caliban,Boyd Holbrookas the villain Donald Pierce andEriq La Salleas an unknown character. While we continue to wait for the June 10, 2025 release date, take a look at these reactions to the 40-minuteLoganpreview.
