As if the re-casting of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen didn’t spell things out, it’s now 100% clear: X-Men: Days of Future Past is going to try and tie this nonsensical series together. THR inform us Bryan Singer is roping in another classic mutant — but also the most popular and, therefore, expected — that being Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine, continuing his streak as the only actor to appear in every X-Men film. (Even the ’60s-set prequel. It just has to happen.) In the days of the past and future does this divided franchise finally conjoin.

Based on the classic, time-traveling comic arc, Days of Future Past is reported to mix the franchise’s old and new players, with some sort of cataclysmic event needing to be stopped before everything sinks into chaos. (I hesitate to be more specific, since big changes will probably be necessary for the film to function in the context of what’s come before.) It’s been proven that you can’t clean up a genetic mess without Wolverine in your pack, so he’ll be factoring in.

Those who really care about the X-Men continuity ought to be asking big questions with this news coming in. While they, again, haven’t been very consistent about characters and their relationships to one another, James Mangold saying The Wolverine takes place after all the other films leaves one to wonder how that movie — which comes out before Singer‘s own — will function. And wouldn’t the inclusion of Jean Grey complicate matters in some really significant ways?

My mind says yes, but I really, in all honesty, have no idea. That notwithstanding… damn it, I’m actually wondering how this is going to converge, and I haven’t cared about an X-Men movie since I was ten. Bryan Singer, you might have me with this one.

With a cast led by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult, X-Men: Days of Future Past will open on July 18th, 2014.

Does Jackman’s casting increase your curiosity as to how this new X-film will play out?