Probably the most successful superhero film franchise of the past 14 years, the X-Men films, which are credited with kick-starting the modern superhero film genre with Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, are still going strong with Bryan Singer set to return next year with X-Men: Days of Future Past, Singer's first time in the director's chair of an X-Men film since X2: X-Men United in 2003. This year, however, saw the release of The Wolverine, a somewhat follow-up to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine and a direct sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand. Loosely based on the fan favorite 1982 Wolverine miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, The Wolverine was directed by James Mangold and sees the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, a role he has reprised for all six X-Men films, including a small but memorable cameo in 2011's X-Men: First Class.