Bryan Singer is directing X-MEN: FIRST CLASS!

[Trent Roman]

I think there's plenty of story for both. "First Class" should be about the students first and foremost; Magneto should be kept to a minimum, and only towards the beginning. Cyclops, Jean, Storm and Beast should be the leads, and, from what we've heard, they'll throw in Frost (Emma/Cykes/Jean love triangle? Just the kind of thing they'd like). Given the timeframe, I'd like to see it involve more of Moira McTaggert (and Banshee?)--and I think Proteus would be an awesome 'big bad' for a "First Class" film. Unless we want to save Proteus for a sequel, in which case perhaps the Shadow King, as part of Ororo's recruitment? (Can the Shadow King hold a movie by himself?)

With "Magneto", you'd cover his upbringing and his time in the camps, and I'd give this a solid half-hour to really make the depth of his scars apparent; I would also introduce in this section his wife to be. The middle portion of the film covers his friendship with Xavier (perhaps show Xavier and McTaggert falling in love here, as a tie-in to "First Class"), the turbulent relationship with his wife and children, and his gradual disillusionment with humanity. Thinking of an end-game, I think this film would be the best time to do a movie version of Genosha (toned down to fit the mood of the rest of the stories, of course)--it allows Magneto to still be a somewhat sympathetic character by going after something far worse than himself (mutant slavery), the abuses of which easily set up his convinction that there will be war between the two humanities, and would be a good place to pick up Sabretooth, Toad and Mystique.

What about Sinister? He'd be a good villain for a prequel movie, either of them, but if they're serious about franchising "First Class", I'd say to hold him off for a future instalment of that. Morlocks could also be covered by a later "First Class" film. Things like Apocalypse and the Legacy Virus are too large-scale for prequel films, and still be recognizable as the world of the first X-film, so should be saved for if/when they get back to making movies in the current timeframe (Legacy virus would also be a convenient hand-wave for re-empowering 'cured' mutants--Rogue, Magneto, Mystique).

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[barnaclelapse]

I think an X4 is a long way from happening. Fox will want to get at the very least three movies out of this series, along with other solo projects like Deadpool and Wolverine. I think we're likely to see a reboot of the franchise before X4.

Agreed. I think X4 is dead and buried.

I've made this opinion before and can't recall if anyone agrees with me, but I really for some insane reason enjoyed X3 more than any of the others. It must have been the whole killing Cyclops thing. That's a couple of stars right there.

 

[Pauln6]

I think an X4 is a long way from happening. Fox will want to get at the very least three movies out of this series, along with other solo projects like Deadpool and Wolverine. I think we're likely to see a reboot of the franchise before X4.

Agreed. I think X4 is dead and buried.

I've made this opinion before and can't recall if anyone agrees with me, but I really for some insane reason enjoyed X3 more than any of the others. It must have been the whole killing Cyclops thing. That's a couple of stars right there.

I thought the X-team gelled really well in the third film compared to the others. Largest criticism was that Jean's descent into insanity should have been the main plot. She was relegated to a very passive villain with a terrible wig (what was wrong with her hair in X1 - it looked really good in that).

P.S. Cyclops isn't really dead - he's in Sinister's lab helping to produce the next generation of mutants along with Jean Grey's true body. Duh.

 

[JacksonArcher]

X3 isn't terrible. It isn't as great as the first two films, but it resembles most third installments i.e. Return of the Jedi, T3: Rise of the Machines, Batman Forever.

 

[DonIago]

Damning with faint praise?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I just read a tidbit on comicbookresources where Singer revealed that the story is about a younger Xavier and Erik and that elements of "X-Men Origins:Magneto" might make their way into First Class. I am really psyched for this film, it sounds like Bryan has a ton planned for this film. Not just an origin story but also including the story of Xavier and Magneto and their fallout and the start of the Xavier Institute.

X-Men 3 doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities to it, but again I don't think I'd want to see Signourney Weaver as Emma Frost like Singer had planned, unless of course she died her hair platinum blonde that would be an interesting look for her if she accepted the role. Every time I have a chance to get the movie from the library I take a pass on it. It didn't help that Zak Penn seemed so egotastical and arrogant in his audio commentary with Brett Ratner.

As for a love triangle between Emma/Scott/and Jean I would prefer a straight up romance between Jean and Scott showing how they got to the point they were in X-Men and X-Men 2. I got the impression that they'd been together for a long time and as much as I agree with Trent Roman that the studio would probably love a love triangle angle we kind of already got that with Wolverine and love triangles suck.

 

[Caretaker]

P.S. Cyclops isn't really dead - he's in Sinister's lab helping to produce the next generation of mutants along with Jean Grey's true body. Duh.

I've thought the same thing too - what if at some point before X-Men or X2, Essex changed out Jean with a clone (Madeline Pryor?)... one whose psychic barriers against the split personality (Phoenix) had not been put into place by a lesser telepath than Xavier, and as such were weaker and broke down more easily. If there's ever a retcon I would accept without hesitation, that would be it.

As for Cyclops, I'd accept any retcon to undo the events of The Last Stand.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ There are plenty of feasible plots left over that would work in the film universe and I've always thought that Mr. Sinister would be an awesome one. I could see how Essex had been secretly monitoring the X-Men and Jean and Scott in particular and recovered Scott's body from Alkali Lake and used advanced nanites to recover him. For some reason though I keep thinking Jean vaporized Scott so maybe this isn't possible. I can't remember that scene any more lol.

 

[RoJoHen]

I can't remember that scene any more lol.

That's because it isn't shown. We just show up later with lots of stuff floating around...and then they find Scott's glasses.

 

[exodus]

^ There are plenty of feasible plots left over that would work in the film universe and I've always thought that Mr. Sinister would be an awesome one. I could see how Essex had been secretly monitoring the X-Men and Jean and Scott in particular and recovered Scott's body from Alkali Lake and used advanced nanites to recover him. For some reason though I keep thinking Jean vaporized Scott so maybe this isn't possible. I can't remember that scene any more lol.

I was thinking of going all the way back to X2.
Stryker while hating mutants, still kept some by his side as bodyguards. Cyclops was absent from the time Deathstrike captured him to the time he showed up again at Alkali Lake. Stryker would have to have genetic knowledge of mutants in order to use that serium to control them, right? Who would have genetic knowledge of mutants and the ability to create such a serium? (hint #1)

Jean sat in a "Coccoon" at the bottom of Alkali Lake. Upon her release, the barriers that held the Phoenix personality in check were already removed. Who has an understanding of how to remove them besides Xavier?(hint #2)

I think it makes good plot points to show Mr. Sinister has been there watching and pulling the strings the whole time. He could just as easily aquired genetic DNA for cloning both of them.


On a side note, I think another good thing about X-Men: First Class is hopefully we'll also learn how Magneto found Mystique. Everybody is always talking about poor Cyke & Jean being dead(boo freakin hoo), nobody ever gives Mystique any credibility at all.

 

[CaptainCanada]

If they did make an X4, I'd really rather they just go forward with the characters instead of spending a bunch of time bringing back others. It's not like there's a character shortage.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Well if you want to move forward with the characters still intact then I would propose a New Mutants type of movie for X-Men 4 with a new core of X-Men characters led by Kitty, Rouge, and Iceman. They could recast Storm (Angela Basset as it should have been) maybe have Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in a lesser role if he was willing to do that (i doubt it) and a bunch of new characters. We saw Siren in X2 as mentioned, Colossus stepped up in X3, you could introduce maybe Wolfsbane, maybe Alex Summers and Lorna Dane. I'd keep Sinister as the bad guy though.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'd rather see Cannonball than Wolfsbane, after reluctantly watching New Moon, which is horrid btw, I'd rather not see any werewolves on screen for a good while. Speaking of Wolfsbane, what was the difference between her and Feral again? Just one was feline, while the other was canine?

 

[CaptainCanada]

Something like that; Feral was only created because Liefeld couldn't have Wolfsbane for the team anyway.

 

[Praetor]

Meh.

Singer's X-Men films were good, but IMO just good enough and close enough to being the 'right' approach that it just annoyed me. I'll watch, and I'll probably enjoy, but it probably still won't quite be my cup of tea.

 

[Broccoli]

It didn't help that Zak Penn seemed so egotastical and arrogant in his audio commentary with Brett Ratner.

Really? I didn't get that impression at all. If anything, the audio commentary was pretty enjoyable.

 

[exodus]

However, I'm wondering if the non-comic book reading audience will return to an X-Men film without Jackman or some equally big celeb in the credits. I'd rather not see X-Men go the Twilight tween route but stay something accessible to a larger audience.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I hated Penn's commentary, Ratner was actually more interesting.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I think an X4 is a long way from happening. Fox will want to get at the very least three movies out of this series, along with other solo projects like Deadpool and Wolverine. I think we're likely to see a reboot of the franchise before X4.

Agreed. I think X4 is dead and buried.

I've made this opinion before and can't recall if anyone agrees with me, but I really for some insane reason enjoyed X3 more than any of the others. It must have been the whole killing Cyclops thing. That's a couple of stars right there.

I thought the X-team gelled really well in the third film compared to the others. Largest criticism was that Jean's descent into insanity should have been the main plot. She was relegated to a very passive villain with a terrible wig (what was wrong with her hair in X1 - it looked really good in that).

P.S. Cyclops isn't really dead - he's in Sinister's lab helping to produce the next generation of mutants along with Jean Grey's true body. Duh.

(Puts hands over ears)

Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup

 

[CaptainCanada]

However, I'm wondering if the non-comic book reading audience will return to an X-Men film without Jackman or some equally big celeb in the credits.

Jackman was a nobody when the first film came out, and it was still a big hit.