X-Men: First Class

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July 29, 2008


20th Century Fox might be planning yet another X-Men prequel if Production Weekly is to be believed.

The trade mag mentions a film called X-Men: First Class in a list of projects currently in development at the studio.

First Class began life as a Marvel Comics mini-series first released in 2007 that chronicled the early adventures of the original X-Men lineup -- Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Marvel Girl and Angel.

Assuming it goes ahead, it will be the third X-Men prequel in development, with X-Men Origins: Wolverine due for release in 2009 and a Magneto spin-off due the following year.

[Dark_soul]

[Noah]

Cool, I'll check all three out.

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X-Men Films is reporting that Tim Pocock, who played Scott Summers – better known as Cyclops – in X-Men Origins: Wolverine will reprise the role of the beam-shooting mutant in Josh Schwartz's vision of X-Men: First Class.

The information comes from an apparent Twitter posting made by Pocock stating that he'll begin production of the film sometime after February of 2010.

The movie, which is set to follow the early days of Professor Xavier's school for mutants, is bring produced by Lauren Schuler Donner, who has thusfar remained coy about which of the mutants would be appearing.

Donner recently spoke to IGN about some early concepts for the film, saying, "I can't talk about it yet, but yes, they're all good ideas. It is the X-Men's first class, and it's way back when… but I can't tell you which characters."

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Bryan Singer said Sunday he's interested in making another "X-Men" movie and has discussed the possibility with Twentieth Century Fox.

The American director made "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United," but passed on the third installment so he could make "Superman Returns." ''Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner ended up shooting that film, "X-Men: The Last Stand." South African filmmaker Gavin Hood made another spin-off, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which was released earlier this year.

"I'm still looking to possibly returning to the 'X-Men' franchise. I've been talking to Fox about it," Singer said at a talk at South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival.

"I love Hugh Jackman. I love the cast," he said, referring to the Australian actor who plays Wolverine.

Now that was pretty much all he would say, but the reference to Jackman and the rest of the cast is significant. With producer Lauren Shuler Donner recently saying that an X-Men 4 was a distinct possibility, could Singer be angling for a return to the X-Men franchise proper? After all, he might feel that he has unfinished business, after leaving the series to direct Superman Returns, which led directly to Brett Ratner’s inferior X-Men: The Last Stand. Perhaps Singer also feels that he has some atoning to do.

Singer said he enjoyed making science fiction and fantasy movies because they allowed him to discuss serious issues through entertainment. He said the "X-Men" series, which follows a group of mutants with superpowers who struggle to fit in with humans, is about tolerance and social structures.

"The excitement about working in science fiction and fantasy is — the stories, if they are good, are about the human condition," Singer said.

Appearing at a panel discussion with South Korean director Kim Ji-woon, the American director also said he appreciated the creative freedom South Korean filmmakers enjoyed to make the final cut, compared to Hollywood, where directors must negotiate with studio executives.

Hollywood movie budgets are so high that "the risk is too great to leave it in the hands of a filmmaker," he said, adding that he "has a responsibility to help studios feel secure in their investments."

Singer made his name with the 1995 critically acclaimed thriller "The Usual Suspects" but later earned a strong following among comic books fans for his adaptations of popular comic book series.

But it’s all early days for now, and pie-in-the-sky stuff at this stage. Keep hoping, X-fans!

[Doc Faustus]

Translation: "I regret passing up X-3 to sodomize the memory of Christopher Reeve. Please love me again."

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The X-Men are welcoming back their original director.

After recently hinting he'd like to return to the movie franchise he'd kicked off, Bryan Singer announced at the Avatar premiere tonight that he will indeed be taking the reins of X-Men: First Class.

Interviewed by MySpace at the premiere, Singer was asked about his upcoming projects. After mentioning his next film, Jack the Giant Killer, Singer then let loose the big news, saying, "I just yesterday signed a deal to do an X-Men: First Class origins picture, which is kind of cool. I'm very excited."

Singer directed X-Men and X2, but when he decided to do Superman Returns before X-Men: The Last Stand, 20th Century Fox moved forward with the third X-Men film without him, ultimately choosing Brett Ratner to direct.

20th Century Fox currently has several different X-Men spinoffs in development, so there were plenty of different routes Singer could have taken for his return to the X-Men world. He'd previously pondered the possibility of directing the Magneto film, and there was a lot of speculation about whether he might direct the next Wolverine film, after his frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie signed on to write the sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Singer's statement confirms First Class is an origin film, though it's not clear yet what characters will be included and how closely it will adhere to the continuity of the previous X-Men films, in which Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and Beast (the latter going by info from The Last Stand) were among Charles Xavier's earliest students – while characters like Iceman and Angel (who were original members in the comics) joined later.

Josh Schwartz, the co-creator of Chuck and the creator of The O.C., wrote the script to X-Men: First Class.

Meanwhile, with Singer set for Jack the Giant Killer and X-Men: First Class, it's not clear what the status is of the Battlestar Galactica movie he's attached to at Universal.

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Following news that Bryan Singer is to take the reigns of forthcoming prequel X-Men: First Class, the director has spoken about the nature of the project.

In an interview with Variety, Singer said of the story, "This is the formative years of Xavier and Magneto, and the formation of the school and where their relationship took a wrong turn.

"There is a romantic element, and some of the mutants from X-Men will figure into the plot, though I don't want to say which ones. There will be a lot of new mutants and a great villain."

Singer apparently wrote a detailed treatment for the film that sparked the interest of Twentieth Century Fox, with the studio then setting Street Kings scribe Jamie Moss the task of writing the script.

Variety reports that the film will be a Star Trek-style reboot, with Xavier and Magneto being in their 20s.

"Whether it's Batman, Lord of the Rings or Star Trek, if the characters are good, you want to see them on their journey even if you know their destiny," Singer said. "I put myself in the fan's position, and I think this story is something I would want to see, and so will they."