Hugh Jackman will return to Sydney this August to shoot The Wolverine, in which he will reprise his role of the gruff, metal-clawed, muscled-up mutant.

The Wolverine is the latest instalment in the X-Men franchise and the sequel to spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was filmed in New South Wales in 2008.

Jackman says he is excited to return to Australia.

"It will be great to work with the highly talented crew and to provide employment opportunities to so many people across all levels of the industry," he said in a statement.

"Not to mention, (wife) Deb and I will get to spend some time with the family back in Australia."

The movie was originally meant to be shot in Japan, but the earthquake and tsunami put the production on hold.

It is not the only setback The Wolverine has encountered, with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky walking away from the movie last March.

Aronofsky said he did not want to leave his family for more than a year during the overseas shoot.

James Mangold is now helming the project.

NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner says the production will create almost 2,000 jobs and see more than $80 million invested in the state.

"It is a testament to our screen industry that Hugh Jackman and his team have chosen to come back to New South Wales, after such a positive experience making X-Men Origins: Wolverine here in 2008," he said.

"This film again confirms NSW's status as Australia's premier production location for large-scale films and television programs."

The Wolverine is scheduled for release in July 2013.

ABC/AAP