There’s been a bit of a Hollywood delay on this news, as nobody has been able to confirm whether or not director Darren Aronofsky will direct the sequel to last year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s been up in the air for quite some time but it looks like the film’s star, Hugh Jackman, put the rumors to rest and confirmed it for us.

In a recent impromptu interview at Elton John’s Enduring Vision gala on Monday night, Jackman announced that he’s getting physically ready to start shooting next year, alongside director Aronofsky. From NY Mag.

“Expect to see four chicken breasts and a whole pile of steamed broccoli on my plate,” he told us. “I’m starting; I’m having my six meals a day.” With Darren Aronofsky directing, he says that Wolverine 2 will not be a “usual” X-Men movie: “This is, hopefully for me, going to be out of the box. It’s going to be the best one, I hope,” he said, and then paused. “Well, I would say that, but I really do feel that, and I feel this is going to be very different.”

Also, Jackman doesn’t think that Aronofsky’s penchant for dark drama is at odds with the big-budget action franchise. “This is Wolverine. This is not Popeye. He’s kind of dark,” Jackman said. “But, you know, this is a change of pace. Chris McQuarrie, who wrote The Usual Suspects, has written the script, so that’ll give you a good clue. [Aronofsky’s] going to make it fantastic. There’s going to be some meat on the bones. There will be something to think about as you leave the theater, for sure.”

So there you have it. The star could be way off, but chances are, being the face behind this multi-million dollar franchise, he knows his stuff. Expect to get official word in the next few days, and expect to see more about casting as the film readies principal photography early next year.