Will 'Wolverine 3' Introduce Laura Kinney/X-23 Opposite Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart?

It looks like Hugh Jackman will not be the only mutant with adamantium claws in Wolverine 3 -- a new casting call for female actors has brought about speculation that Laura Kinney, aka X-23, will appear alongside Patrick Stewart's Professor X in the final Wolverine film!

ComicBook.com reported about the Wolverine 3 casting call in New Orleans, which is currently seeking out "Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian-looking females over the age of 21, a height of 4' - 4'11, and a size 0-4." The description was quickly picked up by SuperHeroHype, speculating that the movie could be looking for an actress who will portray the female Wolverine clone created by Weapon X.

X-23 was originally created by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost for the animated series X-Men: Evolution before she made her comic book appearance in Joe Quesada's NYX #3. The character was made by Weapon X by introducing the X chromosome to Wolverine's DNA, creating a female clone. In addition to having regenerative powers and quick reflexes, Laura also has two adamantium claws in each arm as well as one in each foot.

The possible introduction of X-23 could be an interesting way to finally write Jackman's Wolverine out of the X-Men film franchise. In the comic books, Laura actually takes over her mentor's mantle in All-New Wolverine.

So does this mean that X-23 will be introduced to take over for Jackman after Wolverine 3? It might still be too soon to call and it is best to remember that the information has to be taken with a grain of salt until further details are revealed.

Wolverine 3 will be directed by James Mangold and will also star Narcos actor Boyd Holbrook as the main villain. The film is scheduled for release on March 3, 2017.