Fans call for X-Men 4 with Joss Whedon directing - do you agree?

From: coventrytelegraph.net
Written by: David Bentley

JUST OVER 1,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for a film follow-up to the 2006 release X-Men: The Last Stand.

The currently on-release X-Men Origins: Wolverine is, of course, a prequel - and other prequels are planned (X-Men: First Class and X-Men Origins: Magneto).

But some fans also want sequels to the existing trilogy that take forward the storylines of the cure, Xavier's survival and the return of Magneto's powers.

While petitions are very common across the internet, and 1,000 people is not that big a number relative to the global audience of the movies, the campaign does show some strength of feeling out there for further X-movies, as I had also reported earlier.

In addition, a further online petition calls for Joss Whedon - who wrote the Astonishing X-Men comic book series - to be hired to direct the fourth movie.

SFX magazine recently asked readers what they wanted to see in an X-Men 4 and the five most popular answers were:

1. Long-awaited comic book favourites, the most popular being Sentinels (mutant-hunting robots) and the evil, ancient mutant called Apocalypse
2. Less Wolverine, as he has dominated all the films so far
3. Reboot the franchise to improve the casting (Halle Berry came in for heavy criticism)
4. Give Rogue a total overhaul to make her tougher, more powerful and more in line with the comic books
5. Use the Days of Future Past storyline in which Kitty Pryde travels back from a dystopian future (where mutants are being slaughtered by Sentinels) in order to prevent it all happening...this would create an alternative reality and could wipe the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, which upset many fans!

Other readers suggested bringing back director Bryan Singer - the director of the first two X-Men films who has proved without doubt to be the best suited to the franchise - while there were also calls for the return of Nightcrawler and for boosting the role of plasma-generating mutant Jubilee who had cameo appearances in the movies.

[MORE]

Cumming Hopeful Of X-men Return

From: Imdb.com

British actor Alan Cumming is still hoping to return to the X-men franchise - after he was dropped from the third superhero film.

The star appeared in the second comic book adaption, 2003's X2, as teleporting mutant Nightcrawler and was contracted to return for the 2006 follow-up X-Men: The Last Stand.

Cumming was disappointed when his part in the sequel was scrapped - and admits he would like to be given the chance to reprise the role in the future.

He says, "Nobody's said anything about it, but it might be quite fun to go back. I was supposed to do it again and they didn't pick up my option for a third one. It was sort of 'superhero interruptus'."

Alan Cumming interview on ROVE (Australia)

Alan Cumming on ROVE live in studio with Rove McManus.
Includes I Bought A Blue Car Today show title, U.S citizen - green card, voting, booing George W Bush, surname Cumming, Valentine's Day, Final Five questions: Backstage ritual, Matt Newtons arse in Underbelly, The L Word strap on, slapped anyone in the face?


This is mainly with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman promoting Watchmen, but Alan mentions his work in X2 at about 3:50.

The League of Extraordinary X-Gentlemen and Avenging Yeomen

From: ToplessRobot.com

I love custom toys. I can't make 'em myself, but I love seeing them, and some of my favorite have been the steampunk interpretations of Star Wars and so forth. I guess these Marvel superheroes customs -- pointed out to me by my sometimes friend, sometimes foe Great White Snark -- are more just Victorian than steampunk, but I still think they're hella awesome.

From left to right, starting with the top row: Nightcrawler, the Hulk, Wolverine, Dardevil, Spider-man, Falcon, and Cyclops; bottom row: Jean Grey, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Red Skull, Doctor Doom, and a Doom-bot Arnim Zola. Please, check here, here and here for more pics, along with the detailed stories of these guys, who were created by Bruce Ross and Josh Izzo. (Via Super Punch);

New Wolverine and the X-Men Trailer

From:

Marvel.com has posted a brand new trailer for the animated series, "Wolverine and the X-Men."

In the series, coming to Nicktoons Network in the first quarter of 2009, the story begins as an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, Professor X. The beaten heroes, including Beast, Storm, Cyclops and Nightcrawler, walk away from it all but then they are given a rare glimpse into the future, where they see a world in utter ruin ... ruled by giant destructive robots. They discover the world has spiraled out of control because the X-Men have given up. So now the most legendary of all X-Men, Wolverine, must take the lead on the ultimate mission -- to prevent the world's destruction -- while fending off enemies Magneto and The Brotherhood.

You can watch the trailer here!

Nick and Marvel Join Forces for Wolverine & Iron Man

From:

Nicktoons and Marvel Entertainment have officially announced that they are joining forces to bring the animated adventures of Wolverine and Iron Man to television. The two brand new series will debut on the Nicktoons Network in First Quarter 2009.

Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation channel, has joined forces with Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL - News), to bring iconic heroes Wolverine and Iron Man from the page and big screen to television in two brand-new animated series, "Iron Man: The Animated Series" (a co-production with French based Method Films) and "Wolverine and the X-Men" (a co-production with Toonz Entertainment Pte Ltd., Singapore and First Serve International Ltd.). Debuting exclusively on Nicktoons Network in first quarter 2009, Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron Man each feature 26 action-packed, half-hour episodes that follow the respective heroes through dynamic action, adventure and drama as they face foes both familiar and new to their fans.

"Nicktoons Network is first and foremost about showcasing the most creative and unique animation there is, and this partnership with Marvel is another crucial way to super-serve our audiences with something fresh and new," said Keith Dawkins, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Nicktoons Network. "The fact that these Marvel characters span books, feature films and TV speaks to their massive appeal. We hope this deal signals to the marketplace and our audience, particularly boys, that we are the home for big hits and exciting, adrenaline-fueled animation."

"Nicktoons has a reputation for delivering some of the highest quality animation programming to the youth entertainment market, and Marvel is thrilled to be joining hands with such a dynamic channel," said Eric Rollman, Executive Vice President, Animation & Television for Marvel Studios. "Marvel is uniquely positioned to bring two shows with incredible brand momentum and awareness to this partnership, and we look forward to being in business with Nicktoons to launch this programming."

Wolverine and the X-Men (26 half-hour eps):
The story begins as an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, Professor X. The beaten heroes, including Beast, Storm, Cyclops and Nightcrawler, walk away from it all but then they are given a rare glimpse into the future, where they see a world in utter ruin ... ruled by giant destructive robots. They discover the world has spiraled out of control because the X-Men have given up. So now the most legendary of all X-Men, Wolverine, must take the lead on the ultimate mission -- to prevent the world's destruction -- while fending off enemies Magneto and The Brotherhood.

[Info on Iron Man here.]

Iron Man and Wolverine are two of the most popular Super Heroes in the Marvel universe, with over forty years of story telling between the two characters. Reflecting this popularity, two new major motion pictures featuring these characters are being readied for the big screen, Iron Man on May 2, 2008, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine on May 1, 2009.

Will.I.Am Sings On ‘Wolverine,’ Becomes Teleporting Mutant

From:

He’s a member of The Black Eyed Peas, an internationally known recording superstar heard and beloved by millions. All fine and good - but you ain’t never heard will.i.am sing like this.

“Root-a-toot-toot! I’m doing ‘Wolverine’!” the singer crooned exclusively to MTV News in his first interview about the high-profile “X-Men” prequel. “That’s cool! I don’t mean to toot my own flute, but toot-a-toot-toot!”

[VIDEO]

It’s all smiles these days for will.i.am with the recent news that he nabbed the part of John Wraith, a teleporting mutant also known as Kestrel, in the eagerly anticipated superhero flick. Not bad for a guy with zero acting experience, especially considering he didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with the casting director, he laughed. Bold, sure, but that’s just how much of a fan he is of “X-Men.”

“You don’t understand, check this out, this is how much of a fan I am. I went to the casting right, and they asked me if I knew about X-Men. I was like, ‘Pssh, I know X-Men.’ They were like, ‘Yeah, you know, you’re gonna play a teleporter.’ And I was like, ‘You mean like Night Crawler?’ ‘Night Crawler wasn’t a teleporter.’ ‘Yes he was a teleporter! The dude was a teleporter!” he recalled, giggling. “He would be on the walls, and he was in the Presidential office disappearing and people couldn’t really hit him. He was like, disappearing, poof poof. I was like, ‘Yo, I’m telling you, homey.’ I’m a fan of X-Men.”

But as much as he’s excited about entering a comic book world, he’s even more excited to be doing it as a black man, he said.

“I love black films, I love ‘em, but I want to see other black films other than, like, barbeques, barber shops, and Fridays. The fact that I’m in this film, that’s super dope because you could’ve had me in a film, like, on a corner,” he insisted. “I’m in a rap group. Cast him and have him play this thug, which is all great. But I’m saying as black people we need to do some other stuff. So I’m super, super, super, super blessed and proud to be a part of ‘Wolverine.’”

As a member of Wolverine’s “top secret” CIA black ops “Team X,” will.I.am knows he has to hold his own alongside buff guys like Hugh Jackman. To that end, he left for Australia last night to “get in shape at boot camp” he said.

In the meantime? Just call him “Thrill.I.Am!” the actor sang.

Well, root-a-toot-toot!

What do you think of will.i.am’s casting in “Wolverine”? Are you more or less excited for the project now that we know a large portion will center on Team X? Sound off below.