will.i.am Lands Role in X-Men Origins:Wolverine

Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am has landed a role in an upcoming X-Men prequel that focuses on the character of Wolverine. According to Daily Variety, the rapper and producer joins actors Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Kitsch as the newest cast members. All three will portray superheros based on original Marvel comic book characters, with will tackling the role of teleporter John Wraith in what will be his feature film debut. Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine in the first three X-Men films, has also signed on for X-Men Origins. The film will reveal how the character of Wolverine came to exist in the X-Men universe and will introduce a number of characters that are yet to appear in the previous films. Filming is already underway in Australia and New Zealand and will eventually move to New Orleans. Twentieth Century Fox is planning for a release on May 1, 2009.