Electrix
Avenger
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Lots of background information from David Hayter, writer of X1:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...-hugh-jackmans-wolverine-casting-drama-982045
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...-hugh-jackmans-wolverine-casting-drama-982045
Who did you have pictured in your mind when you were writing the script? Was Patrick Stewart or anyone else attached at the time?
I was writing it for the comic book characters. I was brought on as they were casting, so I was lucky enough to be there for some of the people who came in like Terence Stamp for Xavier and Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey for Storm. Michael Jackson came in because he wanted to play Professor X. It was amazing. Shaq came in. Viggo Mortensen came in. I really liked Viggo for Wolverine, but it didn't come together for whatever reason. Angela Bassett was our first choice for Storm, but her agents wanted more money than we had at the time. Same with Rachael Leigh Cook for Rogue.
Some fans complained Storm wasn't given her due in the first X-Men movie, and then became better over time. Did you pay attention to those concerns and how did that happen that she was given more to do in X2?
That was a conversation with the studio, because Halle won her Oscar [for 2001's Monster's Ball] between the first and second movies. I'm a huge fan of Storm and I'm a huge fan of Halle Berry as that character. But in that first movie, it's not Storm's movie. It's a double love triangle between Wolverine, Jean and Cyclops; and Wolverine, Rogue and Bobby. Those are the operative relationships and unfortunately because we had 11 main characters, there's only so much screenplay real estate you can dedicate to each. I think Storm did get short shrift in the first film, but because of her Oscar and because she's awesome, we all — the studio, Bryan, myself and Marvel — said she has to play a stronger role and because she is a really interesting character philosophically and her powers are great — and she's Halle Berry.
Can you share what you would have done with X-Men 3?
The image that I wanted for X-Men 3 trailer was essentially, you see Xavier and Logan facing off against Jean and her eyes are on fire and she's become the Dark Phoenix and they are talking about the war between humans and mutants and she says something along the lines of, "Don't worry, I'll put an end to it." And then we cut to this statue of Iwo Jima in Washington, as the sun is coming up, but it's still twilight and purple, and you see a flare of orange and it melts away. She fires through, on fire and blasts right through it. You see the Capitol Building and she flies up to the White House and lands into the middle of the street. We cut opposite and we see the entire army arrayed against her. She's like "Come on!" and we cut to black.
I went up to set on X-Men 3. I met [director] Brett Ratner there. They said, 'This is David Hayter," and he was like, "Oh my God, we need you on this!" I was like, "I bet!" It was the day with the big sentinel head and Hugh in the training room.
