Sequels What would Singer work with? (X4 question/possibility)

[JerseyJoker]

Rumors are flying that Singer is going to take a Nolan like approach and become the Czar of all things mutant for the next few years.

Now its known that he will be doing the First Class spinoff, and talk is that he got asked about Wolvie 2, but the real interesting news is that he was asked about X4 and said for them to give him time.

The run down of what happened in X3:

-Prof. X died. (and his mind transferred into another body)
-Cyc died
-Jean Grey died
-Magneto might of lost his powers
-Rogue took the cure
-Storm and Wolverine are running the school
-Characters like Angel, Kitty Pryde, Leech, etc... have been introduced.

Those are the big deals.

If they are talking about a direct sequel, all these things come into question with that. So what does Singer have to work with after X3? What character or storyline possibilities do these events lend themselves too?

 

[BMM]

A complete lack of trust, especially by Cyclops, in Professor Xavier... or whoever's body Professor Xavier occupies... a body that still possesses Patrick Stewart's voice.

 

[Deaths Head II]

Someone a while back brought up the idea of using Singer's original plan for X3 as an X4 and just use it to retcon X3.

Strange events start occurring around the world like freighters start ending up on land. The X-Men eventually realize that Jean is back and he moved up to another plane of existence, becoming a god. She then starts messing with events on Earth. At the end she realizes she can't stay on Earth anymore and goes off to fly into space to create life.

The person who suggested it suggested that Cyclops and Professor X should be with the X-Men at the start of the film and everyone acts as if that is normal until they realize the two of them are supposed to be dead and deduce it was Jean's doing. I would just add in the fact that Jean would be trying to undo all the wrong she did as "Dark Phoenix" and then plow right along as if X3 never happened.

 

[Electrix]

Strange events start occurring around the world like freighters start ending up on land. The X-Men eventually realize that Jean is back and he moved up to another plane of existence, becoming a god. She then starts messing with events on Earth. At the end she realizes she can't stay on Earth anymore and goes off to fly into space to create life.

So Jean dies (or appears to) in X2 and comes back again for X3. Then she dies again in X3, and comes back again in X4. There's only so much dying and resurrection a franchise can take before it just gets stupid.

I'd prefer it if Jean and Cyclops stayed dead, and just bring back Xavier. Or just have Xavier act as a guardian to the X-Men with his telepathy. Giving the team inspiration, guidence etc. A god-like father figure.

 

[JerseyJoker]

Jean dying and be resurrected over and over is a long time X-Men tradition, might as well adapt it to the screen. lol

I like the idea of Jean manipulating everything, but that really seems like to big of an idea for Singer to go with.

 

[TheVelvetOnion]

I have considered this for some time, what would an X4 consist off when everyone has pretty much moved on...

I think essentially you have to look at it from Bryan Singers point of view. He loved the characters he had in the first two movies but majority of them has moved on...

Personnally i think you could potentially reunite the main four cast... Storm, Cyclops, Jean and Wolverine...

We dont know for sure Cyclops is dead, Jean already died and came back to life. But if anyone remembers to comics or barely the animates series... Jean's first manifestation of Phoenix was not actually Jean, she was in a cocoon at the bottom of the lake. I think this was how they explained it in the animated series but i think it would be a good way to bring her back without having to explain too much.

Jean is a psychic... her ability could of put her in a coma like state in a teleknetic cocoon at the bottom of alkali lake. The phoenix we had in x3 could be played down as Jeans subconcius mind creating the phoenix which didnt actually exisit but her powers became so powerful she was able to fool the world... Now that would be interesting.


Wolverine and Storm are supposdily at the school...

Now if anyone is familiar with recent stories Wolverine now knows his past.

I think if you were going to do X4 the follow would need to be done.

1. Mr.Sinister needs to be introduced, his character will tie all four previous movies and that is including the wolverine movie... so that it comes full circle.

2. as i said before "The Phoenix" could essentially of been a powerful illusion by a coma state Jean that still lies at the bottom of alkali lake. - We could introduce Sinister who finds her and finds Cyclops who wasnt actually killed just knocked unconcius and was found by sinister.

3. Wolverine will learn his past, the whole movie will need to feel like the last episode of lost... Every movie previous will make sense when it comes together.

4. The main story focuses on the central four characters. Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine and Storm. We cut back on cameos and substories... instead we just secure 4 additional characters from past x-men films, so Rogue, Iceman, Pyro and Gambit. Gambit maybe played by the same actor but using computer technology aged or recast as Josh Holloway to show age difference.

5. The story has 4 acts and last 2 and half hours long. which is 150 minutes running time. the usual story acts are 3, but we need a really complex story and longer time so 4 acts will be needed.

6. tone down the special effects a little, with a smaller cast and more developement on story i think it would be pretty cool.

7. bring in david hayter to co-write with bryan singer for the script of x4

8. use legacy virus and morlock massicure with inspirations behind the decimation, x-men legacy and mutant messiah stories of recent.

 

[the a1ant]

I actually have an idea for another trilogy (X4-X6) where a war between mutants and human manifests itself after Beast is assassinated at the White House. It causes a major uproar in the mutant community, and humans are freaked because they know the kind of damage that could take place. Storm ends up going into a dark phase, and begins to question her beliefs. At one point her subconscious emotions cause chaos in the world (hurricanes, tsunamis, etc). The 'cure' in X3 turns out to have side effects, and Rogue (among others) come back much different and more powerful than they were before. Oh yeah - the mansion gets blown up by Sentinels, too.

I want to make this film!

 

[Construct]

Considering who many fans on this site believe the villain for X:FC might be (Sinister), and how Cyclops "died" in X3 (off-screen, with near-suspended animation at Alkali Lake and Jean found unconscious nearby), I'm thinking that X4 would function as a direct sequel to both X:FC and X3 with Sinister reprising his role as a main villain.

Also, with the cure being "temporary" of some sort, the door is left open for power return, which may be a bit more unstable for at least one particular mutant.

 

[TheVelvetOnion]

Well this is just a thought but think of this... im going to piece this together by chronology of advents...

1. Stryker's plan to make the ultimate weapon "Weapon X" wasnt just his idea, and he certinaly not the only character who was working on this...On the day wolverine was transformed into weapon x. The Facility staff includded Stryker, Cornelius, Carol Frost... and it was supposibly rumoured that Dr.Nathaniel Essex was there. There was a rumour that an actor said he had the role and he was actually in the movie. It was brief but there was a guy in the background black hair, wore a blue shirt with a black tie... when wolverine was in the tank... you cut to all the people that was there. He is the guy that finds wolveriens heart beat on the machine... later he interupts a converstaion between stryker and munson or stryker and cornelius... i cant rememer which. But that guy im sure was the same actor that said he was cast as Sinister...Either way i say, let that be true. and go with that. Dr.Nathaniel Essex is obsessed with making the ultimate weapon... when wolverine escaped weapon x facility was shut down. However Dr.Essex work would then continue seperately...

2. During x-men 1 - Dr.Essex helps Magneto create the device that change humans to mutants... again working in the background

3. during x2, Dr.Essex was the guy that was able to help re-instate Stryker to continue his quest to make the ultimate weapon however stryker had other plans and decided to try and wipe out all mutants. However Dr.Essex remained in the background learned of the location of Wolverine. the original ultimate weapon. By the end of the movie Dr.Essex learns of the ultimate power that cyclops has and the telepathy of Jean Grey.

4. During the third movie, Jean whilst in a coma state manifests the Phoenix persona - which is just an illusion by her subconcius mind...During the events of the war between humans and mutants on alkali lake, Dr.Essex finds Cyclops in a paralised state in the near by forest of alkali lake, his mind is completly wiped but this is because Jean is protecting him from the phoenix still in an unconcius level, When wolverine supposidly kills Phoenix... Jean awakes from the bottom of alkali lake and is found by Dr.Essex who was monitoring the area.

Firstly i just want to say although phoenix was a manifestation of jeans mind in my idea, jean grey is a telepath and teleknesis... so although she was projecting the image of the phoenix, when the phoenix de-atomized things it was actually coming from jeans body which is still at the bottom of alkali lake all done subconciusly but because her powers have become greater than xaviers... she is able to do what she did.

anyway back to the story...

So sinister has Cyclops and Jean, storm and wolverine try to continue unaware of there existance but think of this... we then bring in Gambit, who falls for Rogue, he is a bit older than her and remembers wolverine. Wolverine wanting to remember his past delves into Gambits past, and we learn of Dr.Essex and Gambits transactions which peacing the puzzle together leads to wolverine wanting to seak out Dr.Essex...

To top that... we have Dr.Essex create a new Ultimate weapon only this time Cyclops and Jean's powers are combind to make a mutant child.... now i was thinking either X-Man! or Cable! see X-Man would make sense because he is the product of Sinisters merging of both jean and scott. But that was to take down Apocaylpse... However we could have a young Cable born and have Wolverine fight Cable only to have cable turn against sinister... but it wouldnt make sense because sinister has not really had much involvement with Cable.

 

[Deaths Head II]

So Jean dies (or appears to) in X2 and comes back again for X3. Then she dies again in X3, and comes back again in X4. There's only so much dying and resurrection a franchise can take before it just gets stupid.

She only died in X3. X2 hinted she was alive and X3 explained that she was just under that body of water. If there were to go with the Phoenix Saga for X4, that would be her surviving her first real death and it would be appropriate because she would be becoming Phoenix for real (making that code name finally make some sense).

I like the idea of Jean manipulating everything, but that really seems like to big of an idea for Singer to go with.

Full blown god Jean was Singer's idea for X3. I guess he was building to the really out there Sci-Fi stuff and I felt X2 even seemed to hint at that with the imagery in the beginning during Xavier's opening monologue. I think it's actually kind of funny because everyone complains that Singer toned down everything in the X-Universe but ironically from what we've heard it was Singer who was planning to give us full blown god Pheonix while it was Ratner who toned her down.

 

[JerseyJoker]

Well this is just a thought but think of this... im going to piece this together by chronology of advents...

1. Stryker's plan to make the ultimate weapon "Weapon X" wasnt just his idea, and he certinaly not the only character who was working on this...On the day wolverine was transformed into weapon x. The Facility staff includded Stryker, Cornelius, Carol Frost... and it was supposibly rumoured that Dr.Nathaniel Essex was there. There was a rumour that an actor said he had the role and he was actually in the movie. It was brief but there was a guy in the background black hair, wore a blue shirt with a black tie... when wolverine was in the tank... you cut to all the people that was there. He is the guy that finds wolveriens heart beat on the machine... later he interupts a converstaion between stryker and munson or stryker and cornelius... i cant rememer which. But that guy im sure was the same actor that said he was cast as Sinister...Either way i say, let that be true. and go with that. Dr.Nathaniel Essex is obsessed with making the ultimate weapon... when wolverine escaped weapon x facility was shut down. However Dr.Essex work would then continue seperately...

2. During x-men 1 - Dr.Essex helps Magneto create the device that change humans to mutants... again working in the background

3. during x2, Dr.Essex was the guy that was able to help re-instate Stryker to continue his quest to make the ultimate weapon however stryker had other plans and decided to try and wipe out all mutants. However Dr.Essex remained in the background learned of the location of Wolverine. the original ultimate weapon. By the end of the movie Dr.Essex learns of the ultimate power that cyclops has and the telepathy of Jean Grey.

4. During the third movie, Jean whilst in a coma state manifests the Phoenix persona - which is just an illusion by her subconcius mind...During the events of the war between humans and mutants on alkali lake, Dr.Essex finds Cyclops in a paralised state in the near by forest of alkali lake, his mind is completly wiped but this is because Jean is protecting him from the phoenix still in an unconcius level, When wolverine supposidly kills Phoenix... Jean awakes from the bottom of alkali lake and is found by Dr.Essex who was monitoring the area.

Firstly i just want to say although phoenix was a manifestation of jeans mind in my idea, jean grey is a telepath and teleknesis... so although she was projecting the image of the phoenix, when the phoenix de-atomized things it was actually coming from jeans body which is still at the bottom of alkali lake all done subconciusly but because her powers have become greater than xaviers... she is able to do what she did.

anyway back to the story...

So sinister has Cyclops and Jean, storm and wolverine try to continue unaware of there existance but think of this... we then bring in Gambit, who falls for Rogue, he is a bit older than her and remembers wolverine. Wolverine wanting to remember his past delves into Gambits past, and we learn of Dr.Essex and Gambits transactions which peacing the puzzle together leads to wolverine wanting to seak out Dr.Essex...

To top that... we have Dr.Essex create a new Ultimate weapon only this time Cyclops and Jean's powers are combined to make a mutant child.... now i was thinking either X-Man! or Cable! see X-Man would make sense because he is the product of Sinisters merging of both jean and Scott. But that was to take down Apocalypse... However we could have a young Cable born and have Wolverine fight Cable only to have cable turn against sinister... but it wouldn't make sense because sinister has not really had much involvement with Cable.

It wont happen, but god that is just such a sexy idea.

I'm all for Mr. Sinister. Cause i think he works on the level of which Singer is comfortable with. There was a reason Singer was afraid to go with Sentinels, he likes to keep it grounded to a level, and Sinister can SO work in that mindset and that idea.

 

[Deaths Head II]

I thought Singer wanted Sentinels in X2 but Fox stopped him. Fox also didn't want to show Sentinels in X3 which is why there was never a full shot of them. Something about them believing the audience wouldn't take giant robots seriously.

 

[JerseyJoker]

He wanted a smaller version of the sentinels, not as large as they usually are. I always felt that is one thing he could never go for, he found a way to make mutants with powers feel realistic in his world, but i don't think he knew how to do the larger than life walking robots.

I'll give Ratner/writers that, he found ways to incorporate the use (glimpse) of sentinels/danger room/Fastball Special into the film, by realizing you needed to give them a purpose and pay it off in the final act.

 

[chaseter]

If Singer does do X4, I have already said that they will not act as if X3 never existed and just do his version of X3 and call it X4. However, you can do a lot of things that amend some things in X3 but the audience will still remember X3.

- Have Nightcrawler come back or at least for one cameo/action scene. His character needs to have closure.

- Have the cure not be permanent for strong mutants. However, bring the Legacy Virus in as part of the plot.

- Bring back Cyclops. He was shafted in X3 and that pissed off tons of people. Have him knocked out in the forest without his glasses. Jean did not kill him. You could show a flash back and this would allow Famke to come back for a cameo.

- Have a new baddie like Sinister. I think him experimenting on mutants as being the mutant version of Stryker would be interesting. It would also allow Magneto to now have a different view of his beloved mutant race. Maybe even have Magneto and the brotherhood fight alongside the X-Men in the final battle. Magneto does not need to be the main villain. He can also be reduced to a cameo in the latter part of the film.

- If you go with Sinister, he could fill a movie up all by himself. However, if you wanted to do the Apocalypse story line, I would be all for it. You could even have it to where X4 sets up the Apocalypse story for X5. Sinister would just be prepping everything for Apocalypse's coming at the end of X4 or in X5. I would like to see the Four Horsemen and Cyclops could be one of the four.

- I would like to see Gambit working for Sinister and either clashing with the X-Men or joining them.

- Bring back Beast and Angel from X3.

- Bring back most of the main cast of mutants.

- I am tired of the government being involved so I say no to Sentinels this movie.

 

[X-Maniac]

Well this is just a thought but think of this... im going to piece this together by chronology of advents...

1. Stryker's plan to make the ultimate weapon "Weapon X" wasnt just his idea, and he certinaly not the only character who was working on this...On the day wolverine was transformed into weapon x. The Facility staff includded Stryker, Cornelius, Carol Frost... and it was supposibly rumoured that Dr.Nathaniel Essex was there. There was a rumour that an actor said he had the role and he was actually in the movie. It was brief but there was a guy in the background black hair, wore a blue shirt with a black tie... when wolverine was in the tank... you cut to all the people that was there. He is the guy that finds wolveriens heart beat on the machine... later he interupts a converstaion between stryker and munson or stryker and cornelius... i cant rememer which. But that guy im sure was the same actor that said he was cast as Sinister...Either way i say, let that be true. and go with that. Dr.Nathaniel Essex is obsessed with making the ultimate weapon... when wolverine escaped weapon x facility was shut down. However Dr.Essex work would then continue seperately...

I think this sounds very plausible.

2. During x-men 1 - Dr.Essex helps Magneto create the device that change humans to mutants... again working in the background

This is also possible.

3. during x2, Dr.Essex was the guy that was able to help re-instate Stryker to continue his quest to make the ultimate weapon however stryker had other plans and decided to try and wipe out all mutants. However Dr.Essex remained in the background learned of the location of Wolverine. the original ultimate weapon. By the end of the movie Dr.Essex learns of the ultimate power that cyclops has and the telepathy of Jean Grey.

Not so sure about this.

4. During the third movie, Jean whilst in a coma state manifests the Phoenix persona - which is just an illusion by her subconcius mind...During the events of the war between humans and mutants on alkali lake, Dr.Essex finds Cyclops in a paralised state in the near by forest of alkali lake, his mind is completly wiped but this is because Jean is protecting him from the phoenix still in an unconcius level, When wolverine supposidly kills Phoenix... Jean awakes from the bottom of alkali lake and is found by Dr.Essex who was monitoring the area.

Not sure about this either. Instead, I theorise that Sinister could have reawakened Jean somehow - something must have suddenly stirred her to life.

Firstly i just want to say although phoenix was a manifestation of jeans mind in my idea, jean grey is a telepath and teleknesis... so although she was projecting the image of the phoenix, when the phoenix de-atomized things it was actually coming from jeans body which is still at the bottom of alkali lake all done subconciusly but because her powers have become greater than xaviers... she is able to do what she did.

This doesn't sound plausible.

So sinister has Cyclops and Jean, storm and wolverine try to continue unaware of there existance but think of this... we then bring in Gambit, who falls for Rogue, he is a bit older than her and remembers wolverine. Wolverine wanting to remember his past delves into Gambits past, and we learn of Dr.Essex and Gambits transactions which peacing the puzzle together leads to wolverine wanting to seak out Dr.Essex...

I think we've had quite enough of Wolverine wanting to remember his past.

To top that... we have Dr.Essex create a new Ultimate weapon only this time Cyclops and Jean's powers are combind to make a mutant child.... now i was thinking either X-Man! or Cable! see X-Man would make sense because he is the product of Sinisters merging of both jean and scott. But that was to take down Apocaylpse... However we could have a young Cable born and have Wolverine fight Cable only to have cable turn against sinister... but it wouldnt make sense because sinister has not really had much involvement with Cable.

Cable would be good...but you risk him being the new male lead (and dominant alpha-male) instead of Cyclops.

Sinister would be great though and connecting him to most of the events in the films as a literally sinister background figure is absolutely perfect.

I had written Sinister into an X4 story I did, along with Sebastian Shaw. I also managed to get Phoenix in through a clever flashback, as well as having Rogue's powers returning...

 

[TheVelvetOnion]

See when they made the x-men trilogy i was quiet surprised sinister didnt appear because of the stories they used.

 

[J. Custer]

The series was too much of a mess from the first film. It was killed in X-3 which was no big loss. You guys are too much into the modern day crap. Claremont & Cockrum....Storm is an African woman who was worshipped as a goddess. Wolverine is a man who's past is shrouded in mystery. Collosus is an russian farm boy that enjoys art and has a gentle soul, Nightcrawler is a misfit who has a great heart and is a prankster. they wear costumes, not leather. the movie should look and feel like those issues. start from Giant size X-men and move forward.

 

[bullets]

Someone a while back brought up the idea of using Singer's original plan for X3 as an X4 and just use it to retcon X3.

Strange events start occurring around the world like freighters start ending up on land. The X-Men eventually realize that Jean is back and he moved up to another plane of existence, becoming a god. She then starts messing with events on Earth. At the end she realizes she can't stay on Earth anymore and goes off to fly into space to create life.

The person who suggested it suggested that Cyclops and Professor X should be with the X-Men at the start of the film and everyone acts as if that is normal until they realize the two of them are supposed to be dead and deduce it was Jean's doing. I would just add in the fact that Jean would be trying to undo all the wrong she did as "Dark Phoenix" and then plow right along as if X3 never happened.

Works for me.

 

[merbass]

We could have a flashback that Scott was saved by Emma who were there when Jean resurrected.

Professor will come back to the mansion near the end of the movie.

Scott and Emma are the main focus as Logan left for Japan to trace his past.

Gambit were trapped in the icy state and was rescued by Iceman. That explains why Gambit did not age. He then have an affair with Rogue since he has the ability to tolerate Rogue's absorbance ability.

 

[Manic X]

Why do we have to do some weird 'why gambit didn't age' type shtick. Just let him be about Cyclops' age in X4 and be done with it. He doesn't have to hook up with Rogue. They're barely together in the comics.

And please, no more talk of an X4 retconning X3. Lots of people enjoyed X3, and to retcon it would also be a slap in the face of all those involved that worked hard to make it.

 

[TheVileOne]

My idea:

Pick up where X2 left off. Pretend X3 never happened .

 

[S.A.A.D.]

^Despite the fact that I enjoyed X-Men 3,that would be the ideal way to go to bring back deceased main characters. But something mysteriously tells me That those who are dead will stay dead with the exception of Xavier.

 

[merbass]

I think it all depends on the availability of the actors as well. Taylor Kitsch who plays Gambit will star in many blockbusters so he might not come back at all for X4.

X3 happened and will stay that way. They just have to find a way to move on with the story. Famke and Halle will be almost 50 by the time X4 happened, so they might need to go with new cast and focus on new characters.

 

[henzINNIT]

I'd like Cyclops to return and Rogue's power to be expanded. She could discover the cure has worn off when she kills a student by accident, and leaves to join up with Mystique and other recuperating mutants.

 

[TheWatcher]

The run down of what happened in X3:

-Prof. X died. (and his mind transferred into another body)
-Cyc died
-Jean Grey died
-Magneto might of lost his powers
-Rogue took the cure
-Storm and Wolverine are running the school
-Characters like Angel, Kitty Pryde, Leech, etc... have been introduced.

-He can work around the deaths,probably by bringing Cyke and Prof X back.Not Jean though. Her death will drive Cyke.
-He can use a story where the cure is temporary.
-There can be a falling out between The Prof and Storm/Wolverine.
-He can work with new characters.
My 2 cents.