If you had the power to re-do the entire X-Men trilogy, how would you use it? Which parts would you keep? Which parts would you chuck out? Would you make the trilogy more true to the comics or give it more of its own spin on the X-Men story?
Redo the X-Men trilogy
- Thread starter Joe Washington
- Start date
I would love to see a series of X-Men movies that allowed itself to be more over-the-top. I'd do the Phoenix Saga and make it more true to the comics. Giant flaming bird...magic crystal...an alien battle on the moon! With the right director and the right visual effects, I think it would be absolutely epic.
Oh, and Sentinels. Definitely Sentinels.
Oh, and Sentinels. Definitely Sentinels.
I would not do movies. The X-Men universe is not suited to movies. It has too many characters, too many on-going arcs and threads to ever truly be satisfying in cinematic form.
All of the movies, even my personal favorites X2 and First Class, crammed too much into their running times with stuff getting glossed over and or becoming criminally distorted
The old animated X-Men cartoon was much more faithful to the comics than the movies, and that format was a much better fit for the stories being told. Now, make it an hour long show, live action, more adult and serialized, and we're in business.
It'll never happen of course, but it would be the best fit for the material.
All of the movies, even my personal favorites X2 and First Class, crammed too much into their running times with stuff getting glossed over and or becoming criminally distorted
The old animated X-Men cartoon was much more faithful to the comics than the movies, and that format was a much better fit for the stories being told. Now, make it an hour long show, live action, more adult and serialized, and we're in business.
It'll never happen of course, but it would be the best fit for the material.
Ditch the comics, except in the broadest sense.
*dodges tomatoes*
Keep everyone's mutant powers useful, but not overt comic book wizz-bang displays.
Come up with my own bad guys/plots/character arcs for most of the films, so that it's y'know, original and stuff. That way, I'm not gonna get picked apart by some dude who's read the Dark Phoenix Saga eleventy billion times. Also, less predictable. Keeping everything a surprise, and keeping everything fresh would be a good reason to stray from the comics.
But keep the main characters, the primary conceits and concepts and what-not.
*dodges tomatoes*
Keep everyone's mutant powers useful, but not overt comic book wizz-bang displays.
Come up with my own bad guys/plots/character arcs for most of the films, so that it's y'know, original and stuff. That way, I'm not gonna get picked apart by some dude who's read the Dark Phoenix Saga eleventy billion times. Also, less predictable. Keeping everything a surprise, and keeping everything fresh would be a good reason to stray from the comics.
But keep the main characters, the primary conceits and concepts and what-not.
To be fair that applies to any superhero team comic franchise, be it X-Men, Avengers, Justice League etc.
Personally i'd stick to the core of what the X-Men were about.. social outcasts with tremendous powers who use their power for good even though the general populace fears and despises them.
I'd also concentrate on the team and would fight tooth, nail and claw to keep Wolverine out of the central spotlight.. yes, he is one of the most popular character but he is not the only interesting character. I'd also try to find a small but heavily muscled actor to play him.. nothing against Hugh Jackman, he was a very good Wolverine but too tall and "attractive". Be the little punk who looks like shit but would be the best guy to have in a fight guarding your back.
Other things sorely missing would be Sentinels (tied with my desire to explore the racial issues with mutants) and maybe, but only maybe, the Phoenix Saga (though not with all the outer space/alien fights as that would be too much). Apocalypse as the main villain would be cool too.. Magneto has been done very well by McKellen and Apocalypse is a different kind but equally interesting.
After the first few movies maybe a standalone movie about the Days of Future Past.. another iconic storyline.
I don't think that's needed at all.. the fandom might explode with rage and hatred and cries of raped childhoods but those are internet message boards and sites and the standard movie attendee just wants to see some cool movie with a few friends, munch some popcorn and be entertained. They don't care at all about changed character backgrounds, different costumes or even different powers because they don't read the comics (or haven't since they were kids) and those people are in the majority.. without them you wouldn't have profitable superhero movies or they'd look a lot less spectacular because of a substantially smaller budget.
Personally I'd make this a cable show with a solid 13 episodes a season, so no room for fluff and also have a fairly larger than usual budget to be able to pull off some of the visual FX and stuntwork that Heroes or Alphas wasn't really able to do. I guess on par with the Singer movies. I would try to be not too reliant on it being FX, but let the hopefully strong writing and casting choices drive the story.
I'm not quite sure if I'd go origins like First Class or just start it like X-Men. I do know however, I would like to start with the actual First Class roster of Scott, Jean, Bobby, Warren and Hank. Wolverine would come around much, much later. And also I don't think I'd go with The Brotherhood as the main antagonists right off the bat.
I'll add to this tomorrow.
I'm not quite sure if I'd go origins like First Class or just start it like X-Men. I do know however, I would like to start with the actual First Class roster of Scott, Jean, Bobby, Warren and Hank. Wolverine would come around much, much later. And also I don't think I'd go with The Brotherhood as the main antagonists right off the bat.
I'll add to this tomorrow.
i wouldn't keep using Magneto as the villain.
first movie would set up the X-Men team as a TEAM and would introduce Magneto and his brotherhood, but would also lay some foundations that there are other groups.
second movie would introduce the Sentinals and would cameo a shit ton of characters in a montage sequence of mutants battling them.
third movie would be X-Men versus the Mutant Liberation Front, an anarchist group who "just want to watch the world burn".
fourth movie would be about Sinister. fifth would be Apocalypse and would see Jean sacrifice herself to save the others. sixth would be Dark Phoenix.
first movie would set up the X-Men team as a TEAM and would introduce Magneto and his brotherhood, but would also lay some foundations that there are other groups.
second movie would introduce the Sentinals and would cameo a shit ton of characters in a montage sequence of mutants battling them.
third movie would be X-Men versus the Mutant Liberation Front, an anarchist group who "just want to watch the world burn".
fourth movie would be about Sinister. fifth would be Apocalypse and would see Jean sacrifice herself to save the others. sixth would be Dark Phoenix.
If I had the power to control the fate of the X-Men film franchise, I would use First Class as the building blocks for completely rebooting the franchise. I'd produce a direct sequel to First Class, but move the film's setting to the present day (2011) and bring back the following characters:
X-Men
Xavier
Banshee
Beast
Havok
Brotherhood
Magneto
Mystique
Angel
Riptide
Emma
Others
Moira McTaggert
I'd also introduce Scott, Jean, Rogue, Logan, Storm, Nightcrawler, Sabertooth, Toad, Blob, and Senator Kelly, base the film's plot around a real-life event, and re-use some of the thematic elements of the original film, such as Kelly's attempt to push harsh anti-mutant legislation, which would also include/lead to the development of the Sentinels.
A third film would re-use elements of X2 and The Last Stand (such as the cure and Striker's involvement), but also include the Sentinels, and, like its predecessor film, be set in the present day and use a real-life event as part of its plot, but wouldn't introduce any new X-Men or Brotherhood characters.
X-Men
Xavier
Banshee
Beast
Havok
Brotherhood
Magneto
Mystique
Angel
Riptide
Emma
Others
Moira McTaggert
I'd also introduce Scott, Jean, Rogue, Logan, Storm, Nightcrawler, Sabertooth, Toad, Blob, and Senator Kelly, base the film's plot around a real-life event, and re-use some of the thematic elements of the original film, such as Kelly's attempt to push harsh anti-mutant legislation, which would also include/lead to the development of the Sentinels.
A third film would re-use elements of X2 and The Last Stand (such as the cure and Striker's involvement), but also include the Sentinels, and, like its predecessor film, be set in the present day and use a real-life event as part of its plot, but wouldn't introduce any new X-Men or Brotherhood characters.
I would have it based much more closely on the 60s comics, but in the present day. Thus, the first movie would cover the origins of the original five (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, furless Beast, Iceman & Angel) with their awesome original uniforms and, of course, Professor X. It would lead into the second (Vanisher) and third (Blob) villains before ending with their first villain (Magento) in an expanded confrontation.
Later movies could follow plots like the Sentinels and Mastermold, the Mimic, Juggernaut etc. before leading into the later mutants. Personally, I prefer to keep Wolverine--my least favorite X-Men--as a villain. Too angsty and anti-heroish for my tastes.
Later movies could follow plots like the Sentinels and Mastermold, the Mimic, Juggernaut etc. before leading into the later mutants. Personally, I prefer to keep Wolverine--my least favorite X-Men--as a villain. Too angsty and anti-heroish for my tastes.
I wouldn't make him a villain, but I don't think I'd make him a part of the team either. He could just be this loner than pops up from time to time, but I wouldn't have him be a huge part of anything.
Yeah, that'd work too. A villain is just one idea.
Or, they could, y'know, just make Wolverine a useful member of the team like he was early in the comics, and not artificially shoe horn him into being the focus of everything like he is now in the entire Marvel universe.
Taking the four X-films into account, I would do something like X-Men First Class, but actually have a blend of the original members and the X-Men from Deadly Genesis.
The first film would be similar to First Class in terms of using the Cuban Missile Crisis, yet the villains would be Mr. Sinister and Magneto (who does his villainous turn in the film) and there would be no Hellfire Club. McTaggert wouldn't be in the movie (I would just create a generic CIA agent instead). I'm iffy on the Mystique thing because I liked her relationships in the film, so I would probably keep her. The first film would at least mention the Civil Rights Movement and the parallels with mutant relations. Darwin also wouldn't die like a sucker.
Second film would take place in the 70s and it would bring in Havok, Nightcrawler, Polaris, Colossus, Storm, Thunderbird, Banshee, Sunfire, and Wolverine. The main villains would be the Hellfire Club. Magneto has to unite with Charles to stop them for manifesting the Phoenix Force. Jean becomes the Phoenix.
Third film would be a take on God Loves, Man Kills with Stryker, Trask, Omega Red, and the Sentinels. It takes place in the 80s. The Sentinels have been created after the destruction caused by the Phoenix. Rogue and Gambit would be introduced in this movie, along with some New Mutants like Cannonball and Moonstar.
If there was a fourth film, Apocalypse would be the bad guy. It would take place in the 21st century with a cast taken from the New Mutants, Generation X, or Young X-Men. The X-Men has such a deep bench that they have so many mutants you can use.
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I would keep First Class as a template as well. I'm start bringing more international members into the team and eventually would do a "All-New, All-Different" X-Men movie.
That would certainly be an interesting idea. There is no reason why the core idea of the comics has to be set in the 60's.
But ultimately the point is moot. FC is clearly a reboot of the X-men franchise, and thus set to be a new trilogy.
^ Is Ratner lined up already?!
I thought the same thing about the sequel. Second Class isn't exactly a compelling title for a movie.I'm guessing they will go the route the Trek films eventually went and have the title be different for each film.
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