Sequels Zak Penn talks: X-Men, Young X-Men, Avengers, Hulk & More!

[Advanced Dark]

http://www.reelzchannel.com/article/560/exclusive-interview-with-zak-penn

 

[Angamb]

I hope X4 comes before Young x-men, if done.

 

[Iceman]

Sick of talk of spinoffs

 

[javphonic]

I hope X4 comes before Young x-men, if done.

me2

 

[BMM]

Penn's still planning on tackling a young X-Men spin-off... At this point, I'm still not really caring, but we'll see.

ZP: I'm attached to it. I'm also supposed to write and direct one of the X-Men spin-off movies for Fox, but that's not a Marvel film. It's not a pure Marvel movie. It's a Fox thing.

CMix: One of the X-Men spin-off movies? Any one in particular?

ZP: Yeah, it's like a young X-Men. It's a pretty cool idea, actually. I can't sell you the whole idea, but it involves a younger group of X-Men at the beginning.

CMix: You mean, like an X-Men: First Class kind of thing?

ZP: It is a little bit like that. I don't want to give away the concept of it, but it is a good idea. It is a little bit more of getting back to the classic X-Men. Some of the complaints we've talked about, it would address those directly.

CMix: Will it be all Wolverine's story?

ZP: Right, well that's the thing. It wouldn't involve Wolverine.

CMix: You talk about X-Men quite a bit and seem to like them. What's your favorite X-Men character?

ZP: Maybe Cyclops? I don't know. I guess I like Phoenix, really. That's my favorite because I think that's the most interesting story. Although, my son's named Logan, so, you'd say Wolverine, but it really is more Phoenix. That cosmic-powered stuff always gets me.

http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/0...-on-the-grand-x-men-fans-and-co-writing-hulk/

 

[FaT_tONle]

Looks like he's talking about a prequel... might as well call it Xavier if they end up doing Magneto... I think Fox will probably lean toward a young X-Men anyways... lets see what happens with Wolverine... although they'll have to get something in development before the next year and a half. They might do SS first to hold onto those FF rights... then they'll come back and do young X-Men or whatever they choose.

 

[Rac]

Sick of talk of spinoffs

Sick of Marvel movies involving Zak Penn.

 

[Angamb]

I suppose Marvel loves the way he writes.... or at least how he works with other people.

 

[Darkknight2099]

Penn is alright but I agree how bout other writers that love the X-men?

Young X-men better not be a young storm, cyclops, Professor X and Magneto. I'm hoping like the New Mutants were in the 80's. So then if it's a young x-men, do we get to see they evolve in a trilogy?

I just want Fox to leave the x-men along and let Marvel get to do with what they need to do with the X-men.

DK2099

 

[Phoenix_Flare]

Young X-Men would be cool...I see it as a X-Men:Evo mixed with T.A.S.
the team could be Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Hank(but not as Beast jus yet), Sunfire, and Thunderbird age(s) 16-mid 20's

other Character(s) by Moira, Banshee, Prof. X (love triangle thing), General Lang/Sentinel(s), Henry Gyrich, Sen. Kelly

the story should focus on Scott,Jean,Storm, Sunfire in high school, Hank(in college) facing discrimination in/outside of school ...that'll be the human/mutant conflict

as 4 villians NO MAGNETO!! He had 3 movies and a solo...maybe Xavier trying to find him w/Cerebo after they fallout, but I guess he would be a big help in the fight against Apocalyspe(think Dark Horizons/Impact/Ascension epi. from X-Men Evo)...the perfect villian would be Apocalypse/Sinister and his horsemen...he would be a tough challenge for the young X-Men and after his defeat that would explain why we didnt see him in X1-X3

the emotional part of the film would be the death of Thunderbird...and the young X-Men taking a stand in the end

now if they do sequels I would luv to see Boom Boom, Wolfsbane,Cannonball and Sunspot as the new recruits

All in all a Young X-Men should kick major ass period!!! LOL and a interesting story...

 

[FaT_tONle]

Apocalypse and Sinister??? I don't know about that... Juggernaught should definitely be in there so they can fix that back story... also I'd have the smaller players of the Brotherhood... Magneto's children as villains... maybe Toad. Gambit in there as an outcast who ends up not joining the X-Men but still has a role in the film. Magneto would be a background player... it should be about Magneto's recruitment of villains and Xavier trying to track those mutants down and trying to get them to join his school instead of teaming with Magneto. If Magneto doesn't get his own movie then he should be the main villain... if he does I'd make him a background player in Young X-Men and focus on the young brotherhood members and a right hand leader of Magneto as the main villain like Mastermind or someone.

 

[Phoenix_Flare]

Cool, but the problem is we had Mags for a villian 3 times!! and its official Mags is gettin is own spin-off and thats going to explore is relationship w/Xavier and the previous movies have focused to much on Magneto and Wolverine...Gambit is goin to be in the Wolverine movie...Juggs wouldnt work because they didn't touch on in it X3...in reality prequels should expand on whats already been estbalished in the previous movies, unless its a reboot...Young X-Men should jus focus on them...in X1-X3 the only X-Man that got development was Logan/Rogue(X1)

Who is Scott?Ororo?Jean?Hank? How do they come to accept themselves as Cyclops, Storm, Beast, etc...while going thru puberty(LOL), high school, and society?

I do like your idea of an outcast mayb have Sunfire realize that its not the life he wants to live at the end(since him and Thunderbird are close and he dies) and he leaves the team...

I threw in Sinister as a sidekick or lackey to En Sabah Nur...I knw Apoc. is to much, but I think it would be a good message if teenagers can stop a powerful mutant then they can handle anything that comes their way...like X-Men:Evo

 

[BMM]

In the end, I think Penn’s spin-off will be absorbed into the Magneto spin-off.

 

[FaT_tONle]

Cool, but the problem is we had Mags for a villian 3 times!! and its official Mags is gettin is own spin-off and thats going to explore is relationship w/Xavier and the previous movies have focused to much on Magneto and Wolverine...Gambit is goin to be in the Wolverine movie...Juggs wouldnt work because they didn't touch on in it X3...in reality prequels should expand on whats already been estbalished in the previous movies, unless its a reboot...Young X-Men should jus focus on them...in X1-X3 the only X-Man that got development was Logan/Rogue(X1)

Who is Scott?Ororo?Jean?Hank? How do they come to accept themselves as Cyclops, Storm, Beast, etc...while going thru puberty(LOL), high school, and society?

I do like your idea of an outcast mayb have Sunfire realize that its not the life he wants to live at the end(since him and Thunderbird are close and he dies) and he leaves the team...

I threw in Sinister as a sidekick or lackey to En Sabah Nur...I knw Apoc. is to much, but I think it would be a good message if teenagers can stop a powerful mutant then they can handle anything that comes their way...like X-Men:Evo

1) Magneto film ain't official since Goyer has made no follow up on it since the strike ended. We'll have to see. I wouldn't use Magneto as the main villain either but I'd keep him in the background especially if you can carry over the actor who plays him in the spinoff. Its overdue I get that but again it wouldn't be about only him and there isn't a better villain suitable for the type of script they'll need.

2) Gambit is probably a cameo or something. Besides there has to be a link with the X-Men eventually. I have a strong feeling he'd be in this and the Wolverine movie will probably leaving a loose end for him to appear in either a spinoff or an X-4. As for Juggernaught... they could play the amnesia angle again. Don't tell me audiences can only accept that the guy was a dude that showed up randomly and had no history. We need that step brother link... and he's a good villain.

3) Those are the good guys... not disagreeing there.

4) Sinister is better kept for X-4. If he's in a young X-Men he should be the main villain. You don't use Apocalypse simple as that. I mean you can use your imagination... Fox won't do that though. They'll stick to what they established in the films. I doubt it will be Sinister. I think they'll build off of characters in the movies. I could see them exploring a Sabertooth/Mystique connection, expanding on Juggernaught like I said, other Brotherhood mutants, Magneto's children. Then again I really don't see the point and would rather just have X-4. But they could really do the X-Men justice with a good young X-Men movie and it could serve as the fourth film to the saga that we have always envisioned for the franchise.

 

[Phoenix_Flare]

you do have a point, but the problem w/Mystique would Rebecca come back?

I mean I love villians 2 I think they add more to a story to be honest, but this movies NEEDS TO FOCUS ON THE X-MEN a lot ppl have been complaining that they don't knw squat about Cyckes, Jean, etc. why did they become X-Men? How do they deal with the prejudice?

Well I guess Sinister/Apoc. would be 2 much...maybe expand more on the Human/Mutant relations, and Sentinel storyline since we did see a Sentinel in X3(that could clear up a pot hole)

A human villian would interesting for a young X-Men

well the good thing about havin Gambit in the Logan solo flick is that if their is an X4 he already knows Logan

their are to many villians in the X-Men universe for FOX 2 want Magneto all the dayum time!!!

Young X-Men should be a freshe, original movie...

 

[FaT_tONle]

Exactly... but the very idea of a Young X-Men doesn't give you much flexibility anyways... X-Men pretty much laid the foundation. Everything was coming together from then on... not really material for a prequel... I don't want this turning into a mutant teen drama film. But this film can actually be pretty good. The only reasonable plot I can see though is if they have a competition between Magneto and Xavier where they are vying to recruit young mutants for their cause. This should be done in secrecy from the public since the humans only really established the mutant threat in X-1 but you can certainly touch upon the brewing human/mutant conflict.

But again... if they make a Magneto spinoff it defeats the purpose (unless Young X-Men is intended as sequel)... especially if they show how the Brotherhood formed in the Magneto movie. That's why they should ditch the Magneto movie completely (unless its only about the Nazis and the fallout with Charles)... make it all about the young mutants harnessing their power and choosing sides... Xavier would pretty much have the role he always had... Magneto would be more of a background player used selectively... maybe one speech in the middle... and some dialouge at the end with Xavier but little to no action. It should be about the 1st members recruited... hopefully Schreiber would reprise his role... recasting Rebecca is no big deal since the character is 100% costume/makeup pretty much... plus she's getting older. MAYBE Juggernaught and/or Gambit (preferably Gambit) in supporting roles... Cyclops, Storm, Mystique, Jean would be the main mutants (all recasted) that Charles/Magneto are trying to recruit. And here is something out of left field... maybe throw Emma Frost in there as well although there would be no point really since she had no role in the trilogy. Beast and Sabertooth would already be on their respective sides. And it shouldn't be a high school X-Men Evolutions cheeze fest.

 

[the a1ant]

IDK what to think of this spin-off. The concept sounds cool, but I don't have much faith in Penn as a writer or a director. Maybe he'll surprise?

 

[Angamb]

I think this spinoff will have less characters than X3, so at least there will be more development, and I'd be glad just with that, hehe.

But as I've said, I hope X4 comes before this.

 

[shadowdog]

I like the idea of a Origional X-Men Movie, but it sucks that there will be no Iceman or Angel becuase it would wreck the ...ahem...continuity (if you can even call it that) from the the last three movies.
That would be kinda lame!

 

[FaT_tONle]

Like these movies were ever perfect comic book adaptations anyways... does that really matter? The more I think of it the more I like this film though... it could really be a new part one of four thingy... they MIGHT be able to do some justice still. I hope this is next up for Marvel's X-Men films unless they can lock up returning actors for an X-4... but that is out the window if you ask me.

 

[Nightmare]

Yeah, they killed off pretty much everyone in X3.

Shouldnt Venom be in your sig somewhere too?

 

[mightiest_mortal]

Well i thought at the time that X-Men3 felt like it was just setting up the X-Men for a cheap TV/DVD spinoff series. Prof X is in a different body, so they can cast a much cheaper actor. Cyclops + JEan are Dead, Wolverines dead. They just need a cheaper actress for Storm and could probably keep most of the rest of the young cast, theyre not doing a lot anyway.
Then youd just have Storm, and maybe Beast looking out for them... then Iceman, Rogue, Shadowcat and Colosus can all have their own Smallville esque adventures each week, where a new mutant turns up they have to stop.

I love that Penn suggests that Cyclops is one of his favourite characters. WHy would he give him such a crappy role in the films then?

 

[RonStoppablefan]

A young X-Men movie might be pretty cool..

 

[Angamb]

it seems his spin-off will be more about the adult x-men in the beggining than the actual younger x-men.

Like first class. I found it interesting too. but I want X4 100 more times.

 

[Phoenix_Flare]

Personally I dont want an X4, no Prof. X, Jean, Scott, Rogue, Mystique...it'll be another Halle/Hugh flick (even tho I luv Storm I like thr bover char. 2)

Young X-Men would be gr8 2 expand on the pre-existing X-Men and who knows we might get a hint of the Phoenix since their dealing w/them as pre-teens or watever...it'll be good to epxand on that aspect since it was set-up in X3...