X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. It was released on May 1, 2009 in the United States. The film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Hugh Jackman as the title character. It is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy and is primarily set roughly ten to fifteen years before the film X-Men. The film focuses on the violent past of mutant Wolverine and his time with Team X, before Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with the indestructible metal adamantium. The plot also details his early encounters with Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston),[2] the Weapon X program, Wolverine's interactions with other mutants[3] and his complex relationship with his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber).[4] The film was mostly shot in Australia and New Zealand.