Sequels Hope for the future?

So, not to judge before the film is actually released, but from what I've heard now The Last Stand ends with my two favorite characters of all time resting under headstones.

Cyclops and Phoenix, however, seem to me to have always been the true iconic X-Men. The first student and the first hero, the great lover pairing, the heart and soul of the team. My sense of moral outrage aside, how can this be repaired?

My suggested solution would be that, if there's an X4, the inclusion of a certain . . . sinister . . . figure could be used to catalyze the return of the comic's two greatest heroes. Essex has, after all, always been obsessed with the genetic potential of merging the genes of Cyclops and Phoenix, and did effectively clone Jean. What if he steals what he needs from their graves and clones them?

It's the closest I can get to reasonably retconning the latest film...