Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Singer Talks X-Men: First Class
By Genevieve M. Blaber "ScarletScribe" on December 22, 2009
Singer Talks X-Men: First Class Director Bryan Singer is back with the X-Men, but what does that mean for the next installment in the franchise, X-Men: First Class. While Singer won't go into too many details, he did tell the folks over at the Heat Vision Blog what they could generally expect from the upcoming prequel, and what potential he thinks it holds.
Heat Vision: What is the story?
Singer: I can’t tell you that; it’s secret. But it’s basically about the formation of the X-Men. How they began and the relationship between a young Xavier and a young Magneto.
Heat Vision: Do you think the X-Men can exhaust themselves? You've got the original three, you've got Wolverine, you've got a Deadpool and Magneto in the works ...
Singer: This story would probably utilize some of the Magneto story because it deals with a young Magneto, so it might supersede that because this would explore that relationship between a young energetic professor and a disenfranchised victim of the Holocaust.
But no, I don’t see an exhaustion. The X-Men universe is boundless. These are great characters. And as young characters, they are quite different than the characters we have seen in the contemporary movies.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
New internet trailer for Wolverine | Filmonic
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A new and most likely final trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine has appeared online, and I feel like I have seen it before…oh wait I have. The trailer is a shiny HD version of the Comic Con trailer from July last year. It was our very first look at Wolverine but we only got to see it via crappy camera footage as it was never released online. That is until now. Watch below!
In other Wolverine news a TV spot featuring a voice-over from Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier) has been playing. It’s cool to see Fox trying to connect the X-Men films.
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Lauren Shuler Donner wants X-Men: First Class to become a franchise | Filmonic
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In February Josh Schwartz said that he was just getting started on writing X-Men: First Class, so we didn’t expect to hear much at this stage of development, however, promotion for X-Men Origins: Wolverine is gearing up and people behind the X-Men franchise are starting to talk. Lauren Shuler Donner has produced all the X-Men films, including Wolverine, and revealed on Fox Movie Channel’s Life after Film School that she hoped X-Men: First Class becomes a whole new X-Men franchise. She also revealed which characters will be involved.
From Comics Continuum:
“It is the first class of Xavier’s school, way back when, so it’s young Scott, young Jean, young Beast and that’ll be really fun,” Donner said. “I think (the plan) is to follow some of the characters into their own stories, and weave them back into the X-Men world.
“And hopefully First Class will become its own franchise and we can follow them as they grow up.”
She also acknowledged that a Magneto movie remains in development.
I’m glad we finally know which characters the film will revolve around, as there was speculation that it could focus on a whole new bunch of characters. While we will be seeing young versions of Cyclops, Jean and Beast, we have already seen young versions of Iceman and Angel in the trilogy, so the famous original line-up probably won’t happen. There is also the fact that a young Cyclops appears in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so the chances are X-Men: First Class will take place after Wolverine, and Tim Pocock (who plays young Cyclops) could have a good few years ahead of him, unless they recast for whatever reason.
They will obviously involve other characters, including some we have seen before. We could see a young Storm (we caught a glimpse of a toddler-looking Storm in the first Wolverine trailer, however Lauren Shuler Donner said that the scene won’t make the final cut. This could be so that it doesn’t screw up continuity if they plan on adding a young Storm in X-Men: First Class). As it will be the first class of Xavier’s school Patrick Stewart may end up returning, unless they recast Xavier like they did with William Stryker. I hope they don’t though. I’d like to think that Patrick Stewart will be the man that links the X-Men franchise together on-screen.
I’m happy that Fox have chosen Josh Schwartz (The O.C, Chuck) as writer. If you’re going to make a movie about young adults, you might as well get the guy who knows how to write them well. Fanboys may want people like Christopher Nolan (the current fanboy God after The Dark Knight) to write and direct their favourite superhero’s, but writing for young mutants with young mutant problems might not be one of their strengths. I am eager to find out who ends up directing this. As long as it’s not Brett Ratner i’ll be happy.
Friday, 14 November 2008
Shuler Donner Talks Magneto Spin-Off
Empire Online talked to "X-Men" films producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who talked a bit more about the Magneto spin-off. Here's a clip:
Details of the plot have remained vague thus far, but Shuler Donner was happy to tell us shed a little light on things. "We have a script on Magneto which is actually sort of Magneto and Charles Xavier," she said. 'It's Eric and Charles in their early, early years."
The site also mentions a synopsis that has been posted by Production Weekly, but that is an unconfirmed plot.
Monday, 4 August 2008
"Magneto" to Begin Filming Next Year.
IGN caught up with David Goyer to find out what's going on with the other "X-Men" spin-off, "Magneto," which Goyer has been announced to direct.
"'Magneto' seems to be a movie that Fox still wants to make," he revealed. "They called me about it a couple of weeks ago. I'm still working on 'Unborn' through November. We said that when I finish 'Unborn,' we'll talk and maybe get that going next year."
Goyer previously revealed that the story will concentrate on the origins of Magneto and Professor X, starring with the young Magneto crushing the Auschwitz gates as seen in the Brian Singer-directed "X-Men." To find out more about his plans, click here.
Friday, 6 June 2008
Fury of the Phoenix: Famke Janssen blasts X-Men: The Last Stand
By David Bentley
ACTRESS Famke Janssen has spoken out and says her character Phoenix received poor treatment in the 2006 superhero movie X-Men: The Last Stand.
The 42-year-old former supermodel said she fought with the film-makers to give the character more development but they didn't do the story the way she wanted.
In the X-Men movies, Famke played Jean Grey, a mutant telepath/telekinetic who sacrificed herself to save her team-mates at the end of the second film.
But Jean had not died - she returned in the third movie where it was revealed that her powers had previously been restricted to moderate levels by her mentor Professor Xavier, using mind-blocks which had now broken down. A second personality had developed behind the mental blocks, simmering with resentment at being caged - it took over and she became the super-powerful, unstable and destructive Phoenix. At the end of the movie, she allowed Wolverine to kill her before she destroyed everything.
The story is one of Marvel's most classic comicbook tales - a tale of corruption by absolute power and of ultimate sacrifice. But it was told differently in the films (notably with the death and absence of Cyclops) and, in the third movie, it shared the screen with two other stories - the cure for mutation, and Magneto's villainous activities escalating to public terrorism and war.
Many fans online were unhappy - first the material was changed from the comics and then, to make matters worse, that altered storyline had to compete with other plots within a film that was just 1hr 44minutes long. If it had been better developed, the changes from the comicbooks would no doubt have been more forgivable.
Now, two years after X-Men: The Last Stand was released, Netherlands-born Famke Janssen (it's pronounced fam-kuh yan-sin), has said she was not happy with the Phoenix treatment either.
Famke, who was also in medical drama Nip/Tuck and was the deadly Xenia in Bond movie GoldenEye, told Indianapolis Entertainment's website: "I know how important the Phoenix Saga is to the fans, and I don't think it was addressed properly. It's such a great storyline."
She spoke about the issue in more depth at The Film Experience website. She said: "When I did the first one [X-Men film] people kept saying 'Jean Grey turns into the Phoenix!' So I looked into the story and thought 'Oh wow, I hope one day they're doing it.' They didn't do it the way I would've liked to have them do it. "
Agreeing that there were too many subplots, she explained: "The way it works is that some people get paid a lot of money on those movies and I'm not one of them. And they need to give them as much screentime as possible. That's really how it works.
"And I kept fighting it, too. I said 'Look, you set up the character like that in the beginning of the film. You have her kill Patrick Stewart's character. You have her kill her own fiancé in the film. And then where do you take it? You've got to follow it through. You can't just leave it dangling there.' But they did."
"People I know who really like the X-Men comic books really love that [Phoenix] story arc. It felt to me like a missed opportunity. People ask 'Are they going to come back and do it and I say, no that's now done. It was done in that way."
She had told Radio Free Entertainment during the build-up to the film's release: "I think that Phoenix is not just purely evil. She was in the comicbooks at some point, but the way the writers created her and how we all sort of talked about her was that she was torn with her powers taking over and trying to control them at the same time, so it was a little bit more schizophrenic in that.
"You want to make sure that you stay true to what the comic lovers are expecting of you...In this one, because we take a lot of liberties, and my character changes a lot, we go out on a limb and we hope that this is something that the fans will still like and look forward to.
"I talked to the writers a lot about the ending of the film, wanting to make sure that it was clear that [Jean] wasn't taking a side between Magneto or the X-Men, and that it was a constant struggle in her head. But you know, if this had been a movie just about the Phoenix, we would have had a lot more time to explore all the different avenues that you can explore for that. But given the fact that there are so many characters in the X-Men, and we have to do justice to every single one of their storylines, we have to use broader strokes in that case, and you have to hope that it's clear."
Her comments came as the website of film artist Adrien van Viersen revealed dramatically epic storyboards (see top picture) for her character which were never filmed. These show the power of Phoenix destroying San Francisco in a grand climax. Other Phoenix scenes were filmed but cut and can be seen in a large section of deleted material on the DVD release for the film.
X-Men fans such as myself are hoping for an extended edition of the film to reinstate some of this deleted material and create a more powerful and satisfying movie. Perhaps Fox will release one when the trilogy comes out on Blu-ray, which will probably be timed to coincide with the release of the Wolverine prequel.
After all, Daredevil got an improved Director's Cut, Fantastic Four got an improved Extended Edition, longer versions of the 80s Supergirl movie have been released, Oliver Stone re-released historical epic Alexander as a Director's Cut and then again as a Final Cut, the Definitive Edition of Kingdom of Heaven included another 45 minutes not in the original release, and there are five versions of Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic BladeRunner (now all brought together in an Ultimate Collector's box). However, neither Elektra nor Ghost Rider were improved by extended editions.
Friday, 9 May 2008
New Wolverine and the X-Men Trailer

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!
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Nick and Marvel Join Forces for Wolverine & Iron Man

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.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Today's IMDb Poll Question Is:
Thursday, 24 January 2008
X3 icons for your blog.
( Rogue ) ( Phoenix / Jean Grey ) ( Pyro/John ) ( Arch Angel/Warren Worthington )
Part 2:
( Beast/Hank McCoy ) ( Callisto, Psylocke & Arclight ) ( Juggernaut/Cain Marko ) ( Cyclops/Scott Summers ) ( Colossus/Piotr Rasputin ) ( Storm/Ororo Munroe )
Part 3:
( Iceman/Bobby Drake ) ( Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett ) ( Professor Xavier/Charles Xavier ) ( Multiple Man/Jamie Maddorx )
Part 4:
( Mixed ) ( Magneto/Eric Lensherr ) ( Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde ) ( Mystique/Raven Darkholme )