Dafne Keen Still Holds Hope For An X-23 Logan Spin-Off
Logan was a benchmark moment for superhero films. It marked the end of an era for the 20th Century Fox period of X-Men films. Sure, some other mutant films came out later, but Logan felt like a proper sendoff for not just Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine, but the entire franchise that began in 2000 and formally concluded when the studio (now known as 20th Century Studios) became a part of Disney. With its R rating, the film pushed the boundaries of the kind of stories you could tell within this subgenre. Wolverine may have adamantium claws, but the film had more in common with a Sam Peckinpah-directed western than something like Iron Man.
That doesn't mean there were no longer any stories you could potentially tell within this universe. Laura, a.k.a. X-23, was a standout in Logan, and plenty of fans were optimistic she could eventually get her own solo film and carry on Wolverine's legacy. It's just one of the many cancelled Wolverine projects to never materialize over the years, but actress Dafne Keen continues to hold out hope such a project could eventually come to fruition.
Dafne Keen says she'll 'happily go whenever' if an X-23 movie gets off the ground
It may have been a while since Dafne Keen had to deal with adamantium claws, but she hasn't done too bad acting-wise. She can currently be seen on the second season of HBO's His Dark Materials in the lead role of Lyra Belacqua. In an interview with ELLE Magazine, she talked about her character arc on that series, while also looking back on her time doing Logan.
While she's happy to play a variety of characters, there's still a part of her that longs to return to X-23. However, she's pessimistic when it comes to any hope of renewing the mutant character any time soon. "I got told by some people at Fox that there might be another one," she revealed, "but this was ages ago when we were filming, and they haven't contacted me ever again." Ever since the Disney merger, there's been a lot of speculation about the future of X-Men on screen. It's unclear how the superheroes will factor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Disney's umbrella, but more than likely, Disney would want a clean break.
Nevertheless, Keen hasn't given up entirely. After all, Deadpool is set to make the leap from the old X-verse to the new, so nothing's impossible. "I feel like we're just at the beginning, there's more to be told, and it's a relay race," Keen said. "I come into play when they've already written and done pre-production and decided on doing the film, so as soon as they say, 'go,' I'll happily go whenever." Keen likely isn't the only one wishing for a standalone X-23 movie, as legions of fans would line up to see Wolverine's clone-daughter take on bad guys once again.
For now, you can see Keen when new episodes of His Dark Materials air on HBO on Mondays.