Natalie Imbruglia to Star in New Wolverine Movie?

According to Movieinsider.com and Australia's Herald Sun newspaper, songstress Natalie Imbruglia recently showed up for a secret screen test for a role to star with Hugh Jackman in a new X-Men spin-off.

The spin-off will be starring Jackman's popular Wolverine character.

Fans of Imbruglia in North America are largely unaware that the feisty Aussie rose to fame in her home country not as a singer, but an actress. Imbruglia starred in the hit Australian soap opera "Neighbours" before breaking into the worldwide music industry with her debut album "Left of the Middle" in 1998.

"Neighbours" also launched the careers of famous pop singers such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.

Rumor has it that Imbruglia has also been auditioning for other acting and television projects in Australia and her current home in Britain.

Sources say that she even recently auditioned for the job as host of the Australian version of "So You Think You Can Dance", but lost out to Natalie Bassingthwaighte, one of Imbruglia's former "Neighbours" co-stars.

In 2007 Imbruglia's fourth album was postponed, because producers wanted to release a 10^th anniversary greatest hits collection first. The collection titled "Glorious: The Singles 1997-2007" did not have the full support of the artist who would have preferred to release another full album of new material.

Although several new tracks were included in the collection it failed to take-off on the worldwide charts, even getting a lukewarm reception in her homeland.

Imbruglia's fourth full-length album was originally pushed back to Spring 2008. Since the delay rumor has circled that the album may never be released at all, due to producer uncertainty and Imbruglia's apparent change in focus. A report in the UK claims that a leaked sheet of releases shows the album has now been pushed back to October of 2008.

After the disappointment of "Glorious" Imbruglia seemed to change her focus back to her roots in acting. The Aussie songbird wrapped shooting in 2007 for an Australian film titled "Elise".

"Shooting (Elise) and getting to play such an interesting character was a dream come true," Imbruglia said in an interview with Confidential Magazine in 2007. "I am still pinching myself about the whole experience and I definitely want to do more film."

Imbruglia married Silverchair frontman, rocker Daniel Johns in 2003. The pair just announced their divorce on January 4^th of 2008. The couple cited distance as the main reason for the split, with Johns was continuing to work in Australia and Imbruglia working primarily in Britain.

Casting for the Wolverine project, tentatively titled "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is said to be ongoing and it is rumored that Liev Schreiber (hubby to Naomi Watts) and AFI-winner Kodi Smit-McPhee will be joining the project.

It's assumed that Imbruglia is vying for the role of the female lead, which is undetermined as the studio has thus far kept a tight lid on the script.

Umbruglia's only previous major Hollywood role was as the leading lady in the 2003 film Johnny English, opposite Rowan Atkinson.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman is scheduled for release on May 1^st 2009.

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Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Imbruglia

www.comingsoon.net

www.movieinsider.com

The Australia Herald Sun newspaper http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun