"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" sets shooting, release dates

Variety's Pam McClintock has all the details on the long-gestating Wolverine spinoff movie, announcing a title, shooting dates and locations, and even a few hints about the plot.

The title, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is interesting for the way Fox is obviously connecting the pic to the previous films. We'll have to see if the Magneto spinoff pic is similarly named.

Pic has staked out May 1, 2009, for release, which is a bit further off than anything the filmmakers have suggested so far. That perhaps means for the first time an "X-Men" film will have s bit of time in the post-production schedule to not have to rush it. It also keeps the X-Men films, surprisingly, on schedule for a release every three years.

The casting news is good, with Liev Shrieber in talks to play a younger version of William Stryker, played in "X2" by Brian Cox. The scant plot details include mention of Weapon X, which makes sense given Stryker's connection to the project, as well as Victor Creed (a.k.a. Sabretooth, played by Tyler Mane in the first "X-Men" pic) and shooting in New Orleans that has fans immediately thinking of an encounter with the Cajun mutant Gambit.