It's official, folks — Bryan Singer is returning to the mutant movie franchise he built up in the first place with "X-Men: First Class."
Singer's filmmaking journey has had its ups and downs — leaving the "X-Men" series for "Superman Returns," only to find that his vision didn't quite fly with mainstream moviegoers — but all of those experiences should only help the director as he settles back in for his take on Cyclops, Jean Grey and Professor Xavier's other gifted youths.
Still, here's hoping that Singer keeps the following few things in mind as he begins preparations on "First Class."
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Last week’s announcement that Bryan Singer will return to direct “X-Men: First Class” has sparked speculation about which characters will appear in the film — especially since Singer has indicated that the focus will be on Professor Xavier and Magneto during their 20s. However, given the age of Magneto in this film, a “Magneto” solo movie may no longer be in the cards.
“This story would probably utilize some of the 'Magneto' story because it deals with a young Magneto,” explained Singer during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “So it might supercede that because this would explore that relationship between a young energetic professor and a disenfranchised victim of the Holocaust.”
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Following the unexpected announcement earlier this week, Fox has confirmed that Bryan Singer will return to direct “X-Men: First Class.”
According to Variety, the previous draft of “X-Men: First Class” has been discarded in favor of a new treatment by Singer. Jamie Moss (“Ghost in The Shell”) has been hired to write the script and Fox is reportedly moving “aggressively” with the development.
"This is the formative years of Xavier and Magneto, and the formation of the school and where their relationship took a wrong turn," Singer told Variety. "There is a romantic element, and some of the mutants from 'X-Men' will figure into the plot, though I don't want to say which ones. There will be a lot of new mutants and a great villain." Read more...
During the Los Angeles premiere of James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’, Bryan Singer let it slip that he has recently signed on to direct “X-men: First Class.”
While being interviewed on the red carpet by a film crew from Myspace, Singer said "I'm ramping up to do a movie called 'Jack the Giant Killer' at Warner Bros, and I just yesterday signed a deal to do an 'X-Men: First Class Origins' picture, which is kind of cool. I'm very excited."
MTV News first raised the possibility of Singer’s return to the “X-men” franchise back in August when his “Usual Suspects” collaborator Christopher McQuarrie signed on to write the sequel to “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Read more...
Several fans have wondered what "X-Men: The Last Stand" would've looked like with Bryan Singer at the helm as opposed to eventual director Brett Ratner, particularly after the latter filmmaker's recent comments towards his detractors. Well, wonder no more.
In an interview with Slash Film (as transcribed by The Geek Files), "X2: X-Men United" screenwriter Michael Dougherty described his and Singer's unused plans for "X-Men 3."
According to the writer, the film would have focused on Jean Grey's transformation into the Phoenix, albeit much differently than the version ultimately seen in "The Last Stand." Read more...
On Sunday, director Bryan Singer confirmed his interest in coming back to the “X-Men” film series and revealed that he has been speaking with Fox about his potential return.
"I'm still looking to possibly returning to the 'X-Men' franchise," Singer told an audience at South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival. "I've been talking to Fox about it. I love Hugh Jackman. I love the cast."
MTV News first raised the possibility of Singer’s “X-Men” return back in August, when Singer’s “Usual Suspects” collaborator Christopher McQuarrie signed on to write the sequel to “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” With the “Superman Returns” sequel stuck in development hell and Singer’s “Battlestar Galactica” remake currently being fast-tracked by Universal, an “X-Men” movie would fit nicely into Singer’s schedule. Read more...
Bryan Singer's plate is pretty darn full. Even if he doesn't return to the "Superman" franchise, he's currently attached to some other high-profile properties—potentially including the "X-Men: First Class" directing gig. Recently, he added yet another project to the pile with a re-imagining of John Boorman's classic King Arthur film "Excalibur."
But it isn't the mere fact that Singer is looking to produce and direct a King Arthur-era movie that's worth noting here. For some reason, there seems to be a surprising amount of comics-savvy creators flocking to the Arthurian legend in some way, shape or form.
Just last month, it was revealed that "Transmetropolitan" writer Warren Ellis is scripting a currently untitled King Arthur movie. Ellis noted on his blog that his project is different from Singer's, effectively dispelling any hopes that the one-time "X-Men" director and the "Astonishing X-Men" writer would be in cahoots on the same film. Read more...
One of the great "What If?" situations of comic book movie history centers on Bryan Singer's departure from the "X-Men" franchise. What if he hadn't abandoned the third X-film in favor of "Superman Returns"? How different would his version of the movie have been from "X-Men: The Last Stand"? And now that his days with "Superman" appear numbered, will Singer once again set foot inside of Xavier's School for the Gifted?
The answer could well be yes, if a well-hidden bit of news is any indication. At the tail-end of a Variety article detailing Bryan Singer's upcoming obligations as a director and producer, it's mentioned that the filmmaker is "flirting with directing 'X-Men: First Class,'" marking a potential return to the mutant franchise he pioneered on the big screen. Read more...
It's been a week full of news regarding the sequel to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but the stars could be aligning for the biggest announcement yet regarding the next installment of the X-Men film franchise.
As we reported yesterday, Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects") has officially signed on to script the second "Wolverine" solo film. McQuarrie has been a frequent collaborator with "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United" director Bryan Singer, and we speculated that the attachment of the new screenwriter could make the project more attractive to the filmmaker.
However, in light of several other recent (and not-so-recent) announcements, the big-picture look at "Wolverine 2" makes a return for Singer to the "X-Men" franchise even more logical. Read more...
When Hugh Jackman told MTV News that some exciting people were attached to the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" sequel, we didn't expect to find out about any of them this quickly—but some big "Wolverine 2" news has hit the wire!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects") will script the follow-up to this year's solo debut for the Marvel mutant. In a repeat of their "Wolverine" pairing, Jackman will produce the sequel alongside Lauren Shuler Donner.
No stranger to the X-Men universe, McQuarrie was one of several uncredited screenwriters on the 2000 "X-Men" film, which he worked on alongside his frequent collaborator, director Bryan Singer. While McQuarrie's attachment is certainly interesting on its own, what it could mean about a potential return to the franchise for Singer is also worth contemplating. Read more...
