-
After X-Men Origins: Wolverine's success, several X-Men actors have expressed interest in returning to the franchise and Anna Paquin is no exception. Paquin told IGN that she would like to return as Rogue, possibly in X-Men: First Class, but with certain conditions:
I would hope I could do a little bit more action next time, though. Ikind of find it ironic that I did three big action films and did,actually, no action whatsoever. I mean I got some really amazingemotional story moments, but I didn't really get to do the physicalstuff. You know, as much as I loved doing those films I was kind of like, 'OK,so when do I get to beat someone up? When do I get to steal somepowers?' You know Sookie [Paquin's True Blood character] gets to do more action than Rogue ever did. So I'm just putting that out there. More action please, for next time.
The X-Men: First Class comic book concerned the original X-Men characters of Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Angel, and Jean Grey, but the movie could follow some of the lesser used characters from the X-Men trilogy such as Jubilee, Colossus, Angel, Shadowcat and Paquin's Rogue. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, however, featured a young Cyclops (Tim Pocock) and seemed to set up a First Class that would feature Emma Frost, Quicksilver, and Cyclops.
Josh Schwartz (The OC) is writing the screenplay for First Class. No director has been announced yet.
Posted 06.08.09 by Ryan -
Fox has got to be pleased. With X-Men Origins: Wolverine's success, the studio is now working on a Deadpool movie, a Wolverine sequel, X-Men trilogy prequel (X-Men: First Class), and X-Men Origins: Magneto. While Magneto has been at times "on hold," it seems that the movie is moving ahead and looking for a director. IMDb lists James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) as "in talks" to direct the movie from a script by David Goyer (Batman Begins), who was unable to direct due to his commitment to his The Invisible Man.
X-Men Origins: Magneto will expand on Magneto's concentration camp beginnings, shown briefly in X-Men, and his fractious relationship with Charles Xavier. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner has called the script "fantastic."
Posted 05.13.09 by Ryan -
The plans to make X-Men: First Class, X-Men Origins: Magneto, and Deadpool, should X-Men Origins: Wolverine have a successful opening weekend, have already been documented, but apparently another X-Men movie is being discussed, this time focusing on the Cajun, card-playing Gambit. Wolverine and X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner told IESB that there are "internal discussions" regarding a Gambit spin-off and "they are going to figure all that out." Shuler Donner hopes that maybe Bryan Singer would return to direct:
Nothing would please me more than to bring Bryan [Singer] on for another movie. And, if it's like the first Deadpool or the first Gambit, I think, I mean, I hope he would be interested...
This is good news for Taylor Kitsch, the actor playing Gambit, who told MTV would "love to go darker" with a Gambit movie:
I want to go into the Thieves Guild part of his story [the union of thieves that Gambit was raised in]. How cool would it be to see him stealing things to survive because the stakes are so high? Come on, Fox, let's do it.
Kitsch may get his wish. It's all riding on this weekend.
Posted 04.30.09 by Ryan -
It's common knowledge that the X-Men movie franchise is waiting to see if X-Men Origins: Wolverine will be successful or not, however plans for X-Men: First Class are nevertheless gaining momentum. Wolverine and X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner revealed to SciFiWire that the potential First Class franchise is all about the "kids":
I like kids. I did produce Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo's Fire. I do like those kind of teenage movies; I really do. Part of it takes me to my roots. It's action. There seems, to me, to be more humor, or more potential for humor. I really like that idea. The relationship ... I don't want to get into what the script is about, but it provides a bit of a lighter touch to the franchise.
With the success of 'tween movies such as Twilight, it's easy to see why a superhero movie might try to take advantage of that market. X-Men Origins: Magneto continues to be in a waiting pattern:
We will do that. We will do that. We all want to. Magneto is a fantastic script, and hopefully we'll make it. I don't know.
With all of Schuler Donner's recent talk about First Class, but a "I don't know" about Magneto, it seems more likely that First Class will be the next X-Men movie made.
Posted 04.26.09 by Ryan -
What a difference a million downloads make! With several X-Men related projects on hold until the box office receipts for X-Men Origins: Wolverine can be counted post its May 1 release, X-Men Trilogy and Wolverine producer Lauren Shuler Donner is already discussing more prequels despite the recent Wolverine Internet leak. Shuler Donner told Fox Movie Channel's Life After Film School that X-Men Origins: Magneto is still in development, but offered new details about the other prequel, X-Men: First Class:
It is the first class of Xavier's school, way back when, so it's youngScott, young Jean, young Beast and that'll be really fun. I think (theplan) is to follow some of the characters into their own stories, andweave them back into the X-Men world. HopefullyFirst Class will become its own franchise and we can follow them asthey grow up.
With the X-Men movie world becoming so prequel-y, what about a sequel? X2: X-Men United actor Alan Cumming has said he would like to return as Nightcrawler in future X-Men movies, although nothing has been planned. Cumming told WENN:
Nobody’s said anything about it, but it might be quite fun to go back. I was supposed to do it again and they didn’t pick up my option for a third one. It was sort of ‘superhero interruptus’.
But with so many prequels getting made, it seems like only a matter of time (and money from the box office) before fans will get to see a X-Men 4.
Posted 04.18.09 by Ryan -
In the wake of the April Fool's Day Internet leak of an unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fox called the FBI to hunt down the person responsible for the leak, sibling company Fox News fired a columnist who wrote a glowing review of the pirated movie, and now, Hugh Jackman has publicly condemned the leak.
On a promotional tour for Wolverine in his native Australia, Jackman showed 20 minutes of footage from the movie and spoke out about the pirated version.
It's a serious crime and there's no doubt it's very disappointing --I was heartbroken by it. Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job.
Fox has a lot riding on Wolverine's success. Three potential movies - X-Men Origins: Magneto, X-Men: First Class and Deadpool - will live or die if Wolverine dies at the box office, not to mention other Wolverine sequels. Considering the almost one million downloads of the unfinished version, Fox is justifiably nervous.
Posted 04.07.09 by Ryan -
When X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens on May 1, possible spin-offs for the characters of Magneto and Deadpool, not to mention lots of younger X-Men in X-Men First Class, hang in the balance. However, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator, occasional X-Men comic writer, and current Cabin in the Woods director Joss Whedon thinks they are forgetting a certain mutant character with a lot of potential: Kitty Pryde.
Coventry Telegraph reports that Whedon told Maxim:
I've mentioned this to Marvel several times over the last couple of years: Kitty Pryde is out there. She's a pretty fascinating character with a very visual power who, the last time I saw, was played by Oscar nominee Ellen Page. And they don't seem to think that that's awesome. I don't know why. You know, I'm just sayin'.
Whedon's got a point. Maybe the reason Marvel is shy about a Kitty Pryde movie is that audiences might be reminded of the buzzkill that was Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand.
Posted 02.26.09 by Ryan -
X-Men: First Class, one of many X-Men sequels hinging on X-Men Origins: Wolverine's success, will be written by Gossip Girl/Chuck producer/writer Josh Schwartz, but he won't direct.
"I would be terrified to have the first thing I direct be a giant franchise movie," Schwartz told MTV at New York's Comic-Con, adding that there was no truth to him turning down the directing job.
As for the movie's plot Schwartz said: "I'm not really allowed to say anything. They're watching me as we speak. It's exciting, it's a huge honor and we're just getting started."
Posted 02.12.09 by Ryan -
With X-Men Origins: Wolverine's May 1, 2009, release date approaching, Fox is already planning more X-Men movies.
In the hopes that Wolverine will be a huge success, X-Men Origins: Magneto is already being developed, with The Dark Knight writer David Goyer attached as director, and a plot revolving around Magneto's concentration camp beginnings, as seen in the first X-Men, and his friendship with a young Charles Xavier that eventually breaks apart as their philosophies evolve and differ.
Fox has also announced a movie adaptation of the comic book X-Men: First Class which will examine the early years at the Xavier School, featuring some of the mutants shown in the previous trilogy. Variety confirmed that Josh Schwartz, creator of TV's Gossip Girl, will write the screenplay.
Lastly, a Deadpool movie is in discussion, a spin-off of the comic book assassin Ryan Reynolds portrays in X-men Origins: Wolverine, should the movie be a hit and Reynolds becomes an audience favorite.
Posted 11.24.08 by Ryan