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Twentieth Century Fox didn't have a panel at this year's Comic-Con, but Simon Kinberg, who wrote the ill-fated 2006 sequel X-Men: The Last Stand and produced last year's X-Men: First Class, was on hand to discuss Fox's X-Men franchise. While ostensibly there to help promote Sony's upcoming sci-fi movie Elysium, Kinberg also spoke to ComingSoon about the X-Men: First Class sequel, which Kinberg is writing for First Class director Matthew Vaughn, whose return for the sequel was in question until he was confirmed to return in January. During the interview, Kinberg discussed his relationship with Vaughn and the X-Men franchise.
what will happen in the sequel? >> Posted 07.15.12 by Ryan -
Though both a critical favorite and a box office success, X-Men: First Class didn't stack up too well against the other Marvel Comics adaptations that opened this summer — First Class opened to $55.1 million versus $65 for Captain America: The First Avenger and $65.7 for Thor — or against the rest of the X-Men movies, only beating the original's opening total by $1 million and earning only half of what X-Men: The Last Stand brought in on opening weekend. Still, Fox has apparently been discussing a sequel internally, possibly waiting to see how well the movie does now that it has been released on home video.
Now, producer Lauren Shuler Donner — the authority on the past, present and future of Fox's X-Men franchise as the producer of every one of the movies going back to X-Men in 2000 — has divulged to HitFix that things are looking "hopeful" for a First Class sequel, and that she wants Matthew Vaughn to return as director. Shuler Donner also revealed that production on the The Wolverine will be delayed (further), possibly until the middle of next year, and said that development continues on the decidedly "different" Deadpool spin-off, with no one in mind for the lead but Ryan Reynolds.
when will wolverine start filming? >> Posted 09.10.11 by BrentJS -
We recently got the opporunity to see how prosthetics and blue paint were used to transform a naked Jennifer Lawrence into the blue-scaled mutant shapeshifter known as Mystique in a video preview of the "Children of the Atom" extra that will be included on the X-Men: First Class DVD and Blu-ray home video releases. Now, the entire "Children of the Atom" extra, totaling more than one hour of video interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the movie, is available for viewing online as a series of eight featurettes.
watch the featurettes >> Posted 09.08.11 by BrentJS -
With X-Men: First Class already in theaters, some of the production's concept artists are releasing their work for fans to see. Artist Jerad S. Marantz released his early concepts for the characters of Angel, Beast, Emma Frost and Azazel on his Facebook page, after revealing that he only worked on First Class for "a short time." While the art looks like somewhat like the final version that appears in the movie, clearly Marantz helped inspire the final look of the characters.
Comic Book Movie revealed the early concept art from artists Hao Wu and Howard Swindell which shows their initial designs for Angel, Beast, Emma Frost, Havok, and their mutant abilities, which looks more (to almost exactly) like the final product.
Only a week into release, First Class has claimed the top spot at the box office, the movie didn't open as strongly as some of the previous X-Men movies. Compared to Thor, the other tentpole comic book movie released so far this summer, First Class's $56 million in domestic box office pales to the $66 million that Thor earned in its first week. Of course, Thor also opened in 3-D, which could explain the financial difference between the two.
why did they skip 3-D? >> Posted 06.07.11 by Ryan -
Back in 2000, director Bryan Singer shocked comic book fans by delivering a decent adaptation of X-Men. Singer followed it up by the even more satisfying X2: X-Men United in 2003, and then, in 2006, X-Men: The Last Stand happened.
Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn, The Last Stand disappointed fans, which is putting it mildly. 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine filled the X-Men void at the box office, but didn't really please fans leaving the disappointment of the The Last Stand in fans' collective memory.
Director Matthew Vaughn's upcoming prequel X-Men: First Class could be the movie that gives fans what they want. Kinberg, who produced First Class, told io9that "lots of things" were learned from The Last Stand.
what did kinberg say? >> Posted 06.03.11 by Ryan -
In the recent issue of Empire Magazine, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner discussed future X-Men projects beyond June's X-Men prequel, X-Men: First Class.
One of the most discussed X-Men movies is Deadpool, which sees Ryan Reynolds reprising his role from 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. While Reynolds admitted last September that he may not be able to fit Deadpool into his jammed schedule, the actor said earlier this month that Deadpool was "still in the works" and that he "wants it to happen." Shuler Donner told Empire (via The Playlist) that Reynolds was still very much involved in the Deadpool adaptation.
He’s very involved, Ryan. He’s working with the writers on the screenplay and it is [his] as much as it is ours. I’m tellin’ ya, it’s true to the comic. You’ll see all of them. You’ll see Wade Wilson, the good-looking Ryan Reynolds! You’ll see Deadpool in his costume and you’ll see the cancer-scarred face.
MORE >> Posted 03.29.11 by Ryan -
Producer Bryan Singer recently revealed a wealth of information about the soon-to-be-in-production sequel to Fox’s X-Men movie franchise, X-Men: First Class. Singer discussed everything from the time period the movie will be set in and the types of costumes and technology that the young X-Men will use, to the villainous organization at the heart of the plot against the X-Men and the villainous character that Kevin Bacon will play. Now, co-producer Lauren Shuler Donner has also opened up about First Class, as well as offered insight into the planned X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel and the Origins spin-off movie, Deadpool.
Will they stay close to the comic book origins? >> Posted 08.25.10 by BrentJS -
British actress Alice Eve nearly won the role of love interest Peggy Carter in The First Avenger: Captain America before fellow Brit Hayley Atwell landed the part. Eve will still get her chance to take part in a comic book movie, only instead of landing in Marvel's ongoing Avengers timeline, she will instead play one of the young mutants of Matthew Vaughn's upcoming X-Men: First Class.
X-Men casting getting fleshed out, finally >> Posted 06.28.10 by Ryan -
Despite interest from several suitors, is seems the studio is in no hurry to produce a Wonder Woman movie. Joss Whedon was hired in 2005 to write and direct an adaptation for producer Joel Silver, but after penning two drafts over two years, Warner Bros. ultimately rejected Whedon's work.
Then in May, the studio announced, along with news of other DC-related movies, that a Wonder Woman was in development, but gave no further details. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn recently claimed he was the right person to direct the movie. Now X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner has told SciFiWire that she would like to produce Wonder Woman.
more on Donner's interest and the studio's indifference >> Posted 06.26.10 by Ryan -
Director Bryan Singer was practically a hero himself to comic book fans following the debut of the X-Men movie, a fairly faithful — except for the costumes — adaptation of one of the most beloved and perennially best-selling Marvel Comics titles. His follow-up, X2: X-Men United, was even better received by the critical comic book audience, and an even bigger hit at the box office, ensuring a sequel. However, rather than continue to guide "Marvel's Merry Mutants," Singer decided to jump ship and helm the reboot of the Superman franchise, Superman Returns.
While Singer's absence from the X-Men didn't seem to hurt its sales — the Brett Ratner-directed X-Men: The Last Stand made more than X2 at both the domestic and international box offices — his homage to Richard Donner's Superman was a flop, costing $270 million to produce and taking in only $200 million at the domestic box office. The movie also damaged his credibility in the comic book community for his portrayal of Superman as a "Super-stalker," and for abandoning comic book continuity by giving Lois Lane Superman's love-child.
Whether because his last movie, the Tom Cruise-led WWII thriller Valkyrie, was also a disappointment at the box office, because he wasn't invited back for the next Superman movie, or because he hopes to repair his damaged reputation among comic book fans, Singer has once again found his way back to the X-Men. Singer may eventually direct X-Men 4, but for now he is taking the helm of X-Men: First Class, a prequel to X-Men that focuses on the formative years of the characters. In a recent interview with the L.A. Times, Singer said that First Class will not just focus on the young mutants, but be very much about the yin-yang relationship of the patriarchs of the two camps of mutants.
Just doing younger mutants is not enough. The story needs to be more than that. I love the relationship between Magneto and Xavier, these two men who have diametrically opposite points of view but still manage to be friends — to a point. They are the ultimate frenemies.
Singer makes no apologies for Superman Returns, but said that he feels more at home in the X-Men "universe," both personally and artistically.
I genuinely like the people, and my personality meshes more with this universe than it does with other universes, I think; I see that now at this point. I feel a connection to the X-Men characters and also the ensemble nature of the films. If you look at Usual Suspects or my last film, Valkyrie, I feel especially comfortable with ensemble juggling. In the space between all the characters you can disguise a central thought that's hidden in all the discourse. I missed that with the singular relationship story of Superman. And, well, it always gives you something to cut to...
While many in Hollywood discount the impact of comic book fans, Singer feels quite the contrary.
Ultimately, the comic book fans are your first core audience, the ones that are going to embrace it and talk about it … or reject it.
Read the entire interview with Bryan Singer and also hear from producer Lauren Shuler Donner.
Posted 03.21.10 by BrentJS