Sequels Bryan Singer on the Future of the X-Men Franchise...and possibly an X-Men 4

[Downhere]

Just saw this article from Joblo courtesy of the L.A. Times, thought I'd post it for everyone to read...

Bryan Singer and producer Lauren Shuler-Donner sat down with the LA Times to talk about the legacy of X-MEN, which is an interesting read, but the conversation quickly turned to the future. While we've known for a few months now that Singer was set for X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, the two revealed that Singer could return for X-MEN 4 (a "totally different" movie than FIRST CLASS says Shuler) and possibly even Wolverine 2.
Says the LA Times: "Shuler Donner also has pitched Singer on doing a fourth installment of the previously established X-MEN franchise and Jackman had that lunch with Singer to coax him into a project as well, which may or may not be a Wolverine film, which Jackman has said will be set in Japan and released in 2011."
Now just because Shuler-Donner pitched Singer on X-MEN 4 and Jackman is trying to coax him into directing a WOLVERINE sequel does not necessarily mean either of those things will happen. FIRST CLASS is the top priority for Fox but even more worrisome than that is that Singer is contracted to direct JACK THE GIANT KILLER for Warner Bros.
When Shuler Donner brought up X-MEN 4, Singer asked her to hold off on that one for now to which she responded, "I will, I will ... I'm holding it open with high hopes. It's totally different and it will be so interesting for you."
Frankly I think Singer's a pretty talented director and while I'd love to have him direct all these X-MEN movies, I'd hate to see the dude hamstrung in the superhero genre. At least Chris Nolan gets to go out and do **** like THE PRESTIGE and INCEPTION in between Batman movies. Frankly I'd love to see what Singer could do with WOLVERINE 2 and possibly X-MEN 4. Even with his involvement, I'm just not all that involved in FIRST CLASS.​

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/03/bryan-singer-and-the-xmen-together-again.html

 

[J.Howlett]

There's absolutely no way Singer could direct First Class, Wolverine 2, and X4. It's impossible.

If there was a way, I hope to God he would. It would just be nice.

 

[Downhere]

Yeah, I know, it's too much to do. Honestly, it'd be better to scrap First Class and Wolverine 2 and go with filming two X-Men sequels back to back and use 3D cameras. That way, it would ensure extra income and finally get the X-Men series to the 250+ million domestic range.

 

[ImWithTeamConan]

I'd rather get McQuarrie for Wolverine 2, save First Class for a reboot and let Singer do X4. Hell, I wouldn't mind everybody ignoring X3 ever happened and letting him do his version of what was going to happen.

 

[J.Howlett]

Well, in doing first class, he effectively gets to finish his "trilogy". If I were him, I'd do First Class, which is a lead in to X-Men and Wolverine 2 and make the ending of that film a lead into X-Men as well.

Because of The Last Stand, doing X4 with Singer would just feel off, unless they totally disregarded that film and I don't think they will.

 

[Downhere]

I don't think doing an X-Men 4 with Singer would feel off, I'm sure they can come up with a way to fix the problems with 3 and move forward. I'd like to see him tackle that.

 

[J.Howlett]

Personally, I'd only like an X4, if The Last Stand didn't exist. Again, I just don't see that happening.

Although, an X4 with Berry, Jackman, Paquin, Page, Ashmore, and Grammer does sound intriguing under Singer's direction.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I really hope for an X4 personally, but they better get cracking as the cast arent getting any younger are they!

Dont want Singer to direct Wolverine 2, I think they could get someone else for that, like McQuarrie or even Len Wiseman, but First Class and X4 should be left to Singer.

 

[Deaths Head II]

Talk about X4? With Singer possibly working on it?

I think there are many options they have to retcon X3. I would particularly like it if Singer goes with his original concept of having Jean become a full fledged god that could alter reality so we can get the Phoenix Saga he intended as well as the perfect opportunity to retcon the events of X3.

 

[Figs]

Nice little read with Singer.

I'm really glad he is back on. Despite certain changes from the comics, which all comic films have, I think he understood the X-men better than the others and as he said, he is good at juggling multiple characters on screen.

Can't wait to see if he's going to do 1st Class or Wolverine 2. I hope he does Wolverine 2 because if he keeps in continuity with his two X-men films, he just might make Wolverine more feral and mean like he was in his first scene at the bar in X-men. I'm crossing my fingers for that, aside from getting a bit soft for Mariko, I want to see Wolverine with the attitude again.

People need to remember that although he was made into more of a team player in X2 it was X-3 and WO that really messed up his personality. I have faith that Singer can rejuvenate this franchise with either film and hopefully make Wolverine badass again.

 

[zenith16]

No let singer do this wolverine movie and every other one for all I care. I want him to get his wolverine obsession out of his system. So he can considerate on other characters that are meant to be in group movies instead of nearly turning them in to some guys and the every one else is back ground or side kicks or just be featured when the thing clearly states their supposed to be a team or organization. nah let him get 6 claws out of his system. let him do the wolverine movies first. he was always headed there anyway as i Expected and said before.

cause if he doesn't get this we'll just get more of the same which the X-Men in name only and their just more wolverine movies in disguise.

 

[Figs]

I can understand worrying about that if he did X-men 4 but if he does 1st Class I don't see that happening since that movie will focus on the beginning of the X-men and Wolverine doesn't meet them until years later.

I do agree though that he needs to get Wolvie out of his system. I'm wondering if anyone knows of any past interviews with Singer talking about Wolverine in his X films. Sometimes I start to wonder if part of the reason Wolverine was always front and center was partly because of the studios wanting the "cool" and most popular character up front to get more people to see the films.

 

[chamber-music]

Seems like Singer learned some lessons from Superman Returns

 

[zenith16]

It's just crossed wrong. other then that superman returns isn't the problem here. he's a singlar character. the X-men are an organization.
with the latter ether try to give equal time or don't bother to do a movie like that. that simple. with single character you show him hogging all you want it's mostly about him and what he's dealing with. Their two different things. they shouldn't at all be thought of as the same thing.




As for making characters cool that could have been done with a lot of them as a groups in thsoe same movies the thing that matters in doing that in terms like this in the X-Men's case was effort and they put way too much on him. cause well as i said poor screen writers and aren't used to ensemble casts. and they didn't really want to do the work research wise. so they took the easiest way out possible. shame full really. but they could have done alot and chose not too. any thing can be done if you really want to put enough effort into it. I blame both fox and him. I'm not gonna completely trust him until I'm sure there truly no hint of wolverine in first class. cause they can say what they like until they start filming and they they say oh we had a cameo and some how it lead to some thing more and bahhhhhhh he's there some how when he shouldn't be. oh man they better avoid cameo's . I really don't want to see him. again I'm not just their their word of mouth. cause it's dicey when they say any thing.

 

[J.Howlett]

The fronting of Wolverine is more Shuler Donner than Singer. And let's be honest people, X2 was way more ensemble than people give it credit for. It made sense for Wolverine and ROGUE to be the focus for the audience in the first film. Like the audience, they're just being introduced into the world. With X2, it's an ensemble story WITH a continuing arc of Wolverine figuring out his past. The Last Stand is where it went bad....

Had Singer been allowed to finish(whole different story tangent) Cyclops would've been the lead in his third X-Men film. Both Singer and Marsden confirmed that in the early days. Why do you think Marsden was in Superman Returns?

 

[Rac]

I think there are many options they have to retcon X3. I would particularly like it if Singer goes with his original concept of having Jean become a full fledged god that could alter reality so we can get the Phoenix Saga he intended as well as the perfect opportunity to retcon the events of X3.

I would LOVE if they'd just retcon the whole XMTLS and just do a straight-up sequel to X2.

Seems like Singer learned some lessons from Superman Returns

Or Fox and Shuler-Donner learned lessons from not doing X-films with him. Now they want him for every project.

 

[Electrix]

Singer hasn't got time to do Wolverine 2. He'll be filming Jack the Giant Killer for Warner Bros at some point this year, and then he'll probably start on X-Men: First Class. 20th Century Fox want to start filming Wolverine 2 at the beginning of next year, so they'll have to find a different director.

As for X-Men 4, if it does happen we won't be seeing it until at least 2013 at the earliest. If First Class is a hit they'll probably make a sequel to that instead of jumping ahead to the future for an X-Men 4.

 

[zenith16]

The fronting of Wolverine is more Shuler Donner than Singer. And let's be honest people, X2 was way more ensemble than people give it credit for. It made sense for Wolverine and ROGUE to be the focus for the audience in the first film. Like the audience, they're just being introduced into the world. With X2, it's an ensemble story WITH a continuing arc of Wolverine figuring out his past. The Last Stand is where it went bad....

Had Singer been allowed to finish(whole different story tangent) Cyclops would've been the lead in his third X-Men film. Both Singer and Marsden confirmed that in the early days. Why do you think Marsden was in Superman Returns?

ummm ehhhh that role he got in returns was big . I know a lot of people view it as singer owing marsden and in some way he does. But that favor
wasn't that great. and the role was well you saw it. marsden is just happy to be working. period. though as i said before he did state in an interview on TV that cyclops wasn't dead before during the movies release when they were all pushing that fans should want a sequel t X3. that's why he was never bugged. it's not a big deal for marsden. any it's more then just is character i'm worried about I want equal time among the others damn it. their just too focuse on six claws. so they should just start with his first so singer and fox can get wolverine out of their system. case as long as they tr to do te other movies and delay his the get that annoying urge and sme he'll show and make a overly big appearence in thsoe other films where it's should about the organization. no start with his first before it happen and it will happen cause of their obsession with him.

 

[ImWithTeamConan]

If we're going down the rabbit hole when it pertains to X4 then I remember a whole bunch of "conspiracy" theories I had back in the day when X3 came out (and everybody on these boards prior to that was thinking Cyclops was going to have this bigger role than he ended up having).

If Singer was doing X4 and they were keeping X3 in continuity...
Wolverine and Storm as heads of the Institute would be an interesting idea. I can see them forming a Cyclops/Emma Frost dual head leader thing but with the roles reversed: Storm being the straight man and Wolverine being the dangerous variable.
Honestly I would ignore Angel and Beast, not because of anything Foster and Grammar did but to get as far away from X3 as possible.
Bring Nightcrawler back, giving people the X2 vibe.
Leave Jean dead.
Leave Magneto to an ancillary role (maybe a cameo here or there) and ignore Professor X's new body (again distancing from X3)
We never did see Cyclops dead......
Introduce a new X-Man and a new villain that make sense with the story (basically the X2 structure with Nightcrawler/Stryker). I would approach it like Morrison did in New X-Men (mutants no longer a small minority, now approaching hip and mainstream) and have Apocalypse as this charismatic leader preaching survival of the fittest. I think a logical end to the "trilogy" would be X23 drawing themes similar to X1.

 

[Downhere]

I like your thinking TeamConan, but I disagree about Beast. He was one of the best parts of X3 and I would definitely like to see him in any additional films.

 

[TheVelvetOnion]

this news to me is a very positive step for Fox and the x-men franchise

 

[BMM]

Coming in 2014, X-Men 4… a sequel to a forgettable and lackluster sequel’s sequel, released nearly a decade ago.

 

[the a1ant]

"First Class" very much sounds like a story Singer would want to tell. He loves the whole Xavier/Magneto relationship, but it makes me wonder how much focus the young X-Men will actually get. Hopefully 50/50.

Singer seems a lot more interested in "First Class" because he basically gets to start fresh. X4 will have a lot of pre-existing baggage tied down to it due to the events of X3, and I just don't know how appealing that would be for him. We'll see...

 

[Rac]

Singer seems a lot more interested in "First Class" because he basically gets to start fresh. X4 will have a lot of pre-existing baggage tied down to it due to the events of X3, and I just don't know how appealing that would be for him. We'll see...

I don't know man. First Class still needs to follow X3 (Beast, not that I have a problem with Beast being one of the first, at least it's faithful, just saying) and Wolverine (the ending...). I sure as hell hope he doesn't need to take Wolverine into account.

 

[Ipodman]

So if theres first class, wolverine 2, and x4 in the works... well the whole franchise's timelines and titles are all messed up now! soon we'll be having X-men Future: Wolverine or something