E3 06: <i>X-Men</i> stars sign on for Official Game

As the gaming industry grows, movie-based tie-in projects are handled with increasing care. Original assets and 3D models from the film are used in the game's development (as in the Lord of the Rings games), directors are beginning to take a more hands-on approach with game projects (Peter Jackson handpicked Michel Ancel to helm the King Kong game), and the original actors are increasingly being used to provide voice work for their digital counterparts.

Activision's series of games built around the X-Men film trilogy has been a perfect example of this, by enlisting Patrick Stewart in the past to reprise his role as Professor X. However, where corners were previously cut (prolific voice actor and former Skywalker Mark Hamill played Wolverine in X2: Wolverine's Revenge) in past X-Men games, Activision has snared the original film actors for all three of the leads in its upcoming X-Men: The Official Game, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Hamill is out and Hugh Jackman is in as Wolverine, while Shawn Ashmore and Alan Cumming provide voices for Iceman and Nightcrawler, respectively. Cumming's presence is particularly interesting as he won't be appearing in the film that the game is helping to promote. However, the game takes place between the events of X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand and will shed some light on the character's absence from the third film.

X-Men: The Official Game is rated T for Teen and is scheduled for release May 16 on the Xbox 360, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, DS, and Game Boy Advance. X-Men: The Last Stand will follow on May 26.