EXCLUSIVE: The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox’s Wolverine 3, the latest in the Hugh Jackman-starring X-Men stand-alone franchise. Jackman has said this will be his last go-round as the character he began playing 17 years ago.

No word on Merchant’s role, but Richard E Grant also has closed a deal to join the cast that already includes franchise staple Patrick Stewart and Narcos‘ Boyd Holbrook as the main villain. More names are in the works.

David James Kelly is penning Wolverine 3 from a treatment by director James Mangold, who helmed 2013’s The Wolverine. Lauren Shuler Donner is producing. A March 3 release date has been staked out.

Merchant is a longtime collaborator with Ricky Gervais, co-creating the original The Office with him as well as The Ricky Gervais Show and Life’s Too Short. He also created and starred in the comedy series Hello Ladies, which ran on HBO for one season in 2013.

He’s repped by WME, United Agents and Nelson Davis Llp.