Wolverine 2: Hugh Jackman's claws may be out for stab at sequel

Talks are underway for a possible sequel to 'The Wolverine' with Jackman

Hugh Jackman bears his claws and loses the plot in The Wolverine (Twentieth Century Fox Film)

We may not have seen the end of Hugh Jackman’s indestructible mutant claws, with plans reportedly underway for a sequel to this year's hit The Wolverine.

Although the actor’s seven-part contract ended with the hotly-anticipated X-Men: Days of Future Past, due for release next year, an eighth outing for Wolverine has not been ruled out.

Talks are being held with The Wolverine director James Mangold, also known for Walk The Line and Girl, Interrupted, but there has been no confirmation of a go-ahead yet, according to Deadline Hollywood.

The X-Men franchise’s Lauren Shuler Donner would likely be producing, with Jackman taking the lead again.

With international success outside the US, the first film raked in $413m in global revenue, rocketing it to second place in the highest grossing X-Men stakes behind 2009’s X-Men: The Last Stand. It is currently the eleventh biggest box office hit of 2013 worldwide.

Mangold told Deadline that in the first film, he had tried to steer away from the clichéd superhero formula of the world being doomed should the "goodie" not succeed, choosing instead to focus on a more character-driven plot.

Fans will be hoping that, should a sequel be in the pipeline, it will involve much of the fast-paced action of The Wolverine without the delays it faced on its journey to the big screen.

The film struggled against many pre-production obstacles, including the sudden departure of original director Darren Aronofsky and devastation caused by the tsunami in Japan, where they hoped to film.