Film Sketchr scored an interview and storyboards from
Daniel James Cox. Below, you will find two sets of storyboards, a deleted scene of Logan fighting ninjas on motorcycles and a more graphic death scene for Shingen. Both didn't end up in the film, but we'll hold out hope that Fox will include them in the DVD/Blu-ray release.
Daniel J. Cox: My first assignment was this sequence! As John said, David Leitch had ideas that he wanted to pitch to Jim and the studio. Dave took me through his ideas, using miniature bikes to explain the moves, and what he wanted to see.
He had bikes doing hand brakes and smashing into Logan, doing vertical 360 flips, shooting him with net guns -- all sorts of really cool (but crazy!) stuff. So on my first day I was introduced to David and Jim, and then stood around a table, while they play acted out the scene using toy bikes LOL. He would show me a couple times, then I'd go off and draw them. Great fun!
Storyboards by Daniel J. Cox
Daniel J. Cox: The other story I'll share was actually really cool and I felt I was able to make a good contribution to the film. You see, the earlier drafts of the script had Logan stabbing Shingen in his chest during the climatic fight. Now, I'm a big fan of comics…been reading them all my life. And of course, I had my copy of the Claremont/Miller miniseries with me the whole time.
Anyway, John and I were chatting and I was adamant that, as a fan boy, the one thing that has to stay is how Logan draws in Shingen with his claws retracted, grabs him…then pops his claws into Shingen's neck. That to me, was one of the best scenes ever drawn in comics, and also really showed Logan's character. It had to be in the movie. So just as I'm explaining this, John goes "well, here's you chance to tell Jim". I turn around, and there's Jim, marching towards us -- "Tell me what?" he booms. I was like, "oh s**t". Gulp. So I explained it to him, and Jim said "We can't do that. I think it's a rating issue". Then he quickly disappeared…and I thought that was that.
Then two seconds later he's back with the Fox executive, and Jim tells me to explain it to him. Which I did. Then Jim thought of a way that we could do it without showing the claws entering Shingen's neck, and acted it out for the Fox executive. It was great, and then Jim asked "what's that rated"? And John and I looked at each other and I blurted out "that's rated A for awesome". And we all had a big laugh, and Jim instructed me to board it. Which was great, and I even added an explicit shot of Logan's claws going into Shingen's neck, which was specifically for the unrated DVD version. Still haven't seen that version yet, so will be very interested to see if it made it in. But yeah, that was a fun time!
Click Here For Film Sketchr's Full Interview & Even More Storyboards
Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality.
The Wolverine will be directed by James Mangold (Knight and Day), from a script written by Christopher McQuarrie.. The cast includes: Hugh Jackamn (Logan/Wolverine), Svetlana Khodchenkova (Viper), Hiroyuki Sanada (Shingen), Hal Yamanouchi (Yashida), Tao Okamoto (Mariko), Rila Fukushima (Yukio), Brian Tee (Norubo Mori), and Will Yun Lee (Kenuichio Harada/Silver Samurai). The film clawed into theaters July 26, 2013.