If you've seen Logan, then you know that while Wolverine might be the star, Laura is the real breakout. The tweenage mini-Wolverine steals every scene she's in, even when, as X-23, she's being subjected to awful experiments. Feisty, powerful, and with an strong sense of self, Laura in Logan is everything an audience could want in an X-Men heroine, which is probably why everyone is demanding to see her again, be it in her own spinoff or in some other capacity. But, will Laura be in more X-Men films?
Fans of the X-Men franchise have probably noticed that X-23's story doesn't really gel with the other X-Men stories being told right now. The main X-Men franchise, the one rebooted in X-Men: First Class last seen in X-Men: Apocalypse, is currently in a timeline set 40 years before Laura was even born. If the powers that be want to continue to focus on the narrative set up in Apocalypse, with a new young Jean Grey and Cyclops, then adding Laura into the mix doesn't make any logical sense. So, the idea of Laura being included into that main branch of the franchise is basically a non starter. That leaves only four options: a Logan sequel, a Logan prequel, spinoffs, or Deadpool.
Logan director James Mangold has made his desires for an X-23 movie public, especially if it means he can team up with young actress Dafne Keene, who plays the role in Logan. "I think Dafne is incredible in the film, and I would love to see another film about that character and that's certainly something I'd be involved in," Mangold said in an interview with We Got This Covered. Mangold's statements are pretty vague, but it does make it look like we will see Laura in more X-Men films — we just don't know how, exactly, yet.
The idea of a Logan sequel or prequel is a little strange, if only because Logan is a Wolverine movie and Hugh Jackman is done playing Wolverine. Any film starring Laura would definitely be more of a spinoff than a continuation of the Wolverine series. There could be a prequel about her escape from Transigen, what happened before the events in Logan, or a sequel about her life after Logan. But there are more possibilities.
Deadpool was so far removed from the X-Men franchise, filmmakers could retroactively set it in any X-Men timeline they want, and in any future that they want. As the Deadpool franchise grows, it's possible that the inclusion of more mutants, like X-23, is just around the corner. (And how awesome would it be to see Laura go head to head with Wade Wilson?) Including X-23 in the Deadpool franchise would also provide filmmakers with a launching pad for a possible X-Force movie. Last year, Bryan Singer, the mastermind behind the original X-Men trilogy, revealed that he had been toying with the idea of an X-Force movie starring X-23. "I actually initially pitched the X-Force and the female," Singer told Fandango at the time, adding that the script was still in early stages.
The future of the X-Men franchise is wide open, and with the success of Logan, it's only a matter of time before audiences demand to see more of X-23. Now the powers that be just have to settle on how to give Laura the spotlight she deserves.
