X-Men: First Class Origins'

[Emperor]

On the 'blue carpet' at last night's premiere of James Cameron's "Avatar" in Los Angeles, MySpace spoke with director Bryan Singer who let slip that he's returning to the franchise that made him a household name - "X-Men".

 

"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" said Singer. 'First Class' looks at the early days of Cyclops, Jean Grey and others at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.

 

The hope is obviously to bring back some prestige to both the franchise and the filmmaker himself. Singer's "X-Men" and especially its follow-up "X2" scored strong critical reviews and were financial successes for Fox.

 

The subsequent two 'X-Men' films, helmed by Brett Ratner and Gavin Hood, did financially very well but scored a lot of negative reviews. Singer's subsequent two films - "Superman Returns" and "Valkyrie" - had mixed reviews and disappointing box-office.

 

 

[Krakalakachkn]

Bryan Singer leaving X-men for Superman was ridiculous and very disappointing.  Ratner did a decent job, but Wolverine was a disappointment.

 

Superman Returns wasn't good and Valkyrie was only decent.

[Krakalakachkn]

Within a day of his name first being linked to the upcoming spin-off feature "X-Men: First Class", British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn ("Kick Ass," "Stardust") may already be off the list.

 

Entertainment Weekly broke the news that Vaughn had been in talks to direct 'First Class', not unsurprising as Fox previously pursued him for "X-Men: The Last Stand" and Marvel also talked with him about doing the "Thor" movie. Bryan Singer was initially attached to direct 'First Class' but had to drop out due to scheduling commitments.

 

Now Heat Vision reports that both Vaughn and Rupert Sanders ("The Low Dweller") have already passed on the project. Others on the short list include Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted"), Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk," "Clash of the Titans"), David Slade ("30 Days of Night," "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"), Carl Rinsch and Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa ("Snabba Cash").

 

Espinosa’s "Snabba Cash" recently got picked up for a remake and the director has several high-profile projects being offered to him including Universal's CIA spy thriller "Safe House" and the Leo DiCaprio vigilante thriller "Prisoners". Espinosa has met with Singer, who is producing 'First Class', about the possibility of coming aboard but right now it seems the decision is still very much up in the air.

[Krakalakachkn]

So, I was wrong apparently.

 

Despite reports late last week that he already passed on the project, Matthew Vaughn ("Kick Ass," "Stardust") is apparently back in negotiations to helm "X-Men: First Class" for 20th Century Fox reports Deadline Hollywood.

 

Talks between the two parties collapsed Thursday and several alternative directors were interviewed over the weekend. Now as talks with Vaughn got back on track Monday morning, further interviews have been cancelled.

 

Vaughn was famously set to direct "X-Men: The Last Stand" before dropping out of the project which Brett Ratner then took over.

 

Fox will put 'Class', which depicts the genesis of the Xavier-Magneto relationship, into production by late summer or early fall. Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz ("Thor") performed a late stage rewrite on the film while Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg will produce.

[Krakalakachkn]

James McAvoy has signed to play Charles Xavier!

 

20th Century Fox has announced that rising British hunk James McAvoy ("Wanted," "Last King of Scotland," "Atonement") has signed on to play a young Charles Xavier in the upcoming "X-Men: First Class".

 

The story is said to "chart the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time.

 

Before they were archenemies, they were the closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men."

 

Patrick Stewart played the wheelchair-bound older version of the character in the four previous "X-Men" films. Matthew Vaughn directs 'First Class' which aims to kick off shooting this Summer in the UK for a release next June.

[Krakalakachkn]

Confirming an "X-Men: First Class" story that emerged last week, 20th Century Fox has formally offered the role of Magneto to rising Irish actor Michael Fassbender reports Deadline

 

According to the site, Fassbender ("Inglourious Basterds," "Hunger") was offered the role today after a reading last week. That reading included actors Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Jack Huston and Eddie Redmayne.

 

Also today actor Ben Walker ("Flags of Our Fathers," 'Kinsey") has been linked to the project as playing the young Hank McCoy/Beast, however this report claims it's for a different (and as yet unspecified) role. Rosamund Pike and Amber Heard were recently linked as well, but the only official casting announcement thus far has been James McAvoy as Professor X.

[Krakalakachkn]

Casting talk about the upcoming prequel "X-Men: First Class" continues to rage like a runaway fire with two new names coming onboard and one rumoured name departing today.

 

Deadline report that Nicholas Hoult ("A Single Man," "Skins")  will play a young Beast

 

Lucas Till ("Hannah Montana: The Movie") will play Havok, http://disneyportugal.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/lucas-till-lo2.jpg

 

Kevin Bacon is in talks to play a key villain. http://www.judiciaryreport.com/images/Kevin-Bacon-1-1-09.jpg[/img]

 

 

The 20-year-old Hoult is said to be replacing Benjamin Walker who was involved but left the project.

 

Meanwhile two reported additions have seemingly been shot down. Entertainment Weekly reports that despite yesterday's talk that he's a lock, "Kick Ass" star Aaron Johnson will NOT be playing a young Cyclops after all. The far more dubious rumour of Taylor Lautner also being cast in a role has also been dismissed.

 

Shooting kicks off this summer in London.

[ironcross]

without patrik stewart and ian mcallen i dont think it will be much worth watching.

[Krakalakachkn]

I disagree; it all depends on who's directing it.  I think Vaughn would do a good job.  AND James McAvoy is playing Professor X, which I think it a great idea.

 

 

 

Jennifer Lawrence, the star of the Sundance-winning indie drama "Winter's Bone", has been cast as a young Mystique in Fox's "X-Men: First Class"

 

 

Kevin Bacon is also confirmed to be playing the villain, but details of the role are being kept secret. The report includes Aaron Johnson's name which has been both confirmed and denied in recent weeks.

 

Lawrence joins confirmed cast members James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Alice Eve (Emma Frost), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee) and Lucas Till (Havok).

 

Filming kicks off late Summer in London.

[HornOfValere]

I did hear the Kevin Bacon will probably take the role of Sebastian Shaw, which is the only character I thought of when I heard his name being thrown around for a villain.

 

The first two X films were superb, then 3 and Wolverine happened.

 

I'd really like to be excited about his, but since allegedly it is connected to the others (in that it basically picks up where Wolverine ended) I think I'll more likely give it a skip. Fox have thoroughly run this franchise into the ground and nobody can save it without pressing the reboot button.

 

My biggest beefs are the ruination of Deadpool (I don't think I fancy watching his spin off if it ever happens), and the way Emma Frost was jobbed out. One of the most powerful telepaths in the world was a bullet shield. Bleh.

[Majsju]

I hope it will be a complete disaster, so that fox might consider dropping the rights. That way Marvel could reboot it, and connect it with their expanding movie universe.

[Krakalakachkn]

Some big new photos

 

20th Century Fox has issued a bigger version of the cast promo photo for the upcoming "X-Men: First Class". The previous photo that hit the web was leaked early and apparently wasn't finished.

 

Director Matthew Vaughn rushes to explain that “I freaked out on them yesterday. I don’t know where the hell that came from. I don’t think it’s a Fox image. It’s not a pre-approved image. When I found out, I said, what the f--k is this s--t, and Fox is running around trying to figure out what happened as well. I agree. It’s like a bad photoshop, which maybe it was by someone. It didn’t reflect the movie. I was shocked when I saw it."

 

The studio has gone full ball with other and better looking "X-Men" promo material today - releasing the first five stills via Hero Complex and /Film and a new teaser poster via AICN. Check 'em all out below and click for the larger versions.

 

 

Vaughn, along with various actors from the film have also given interviews about it and revealed some interesting new details. The biggest surprise is that the project is still very much filming and everyone's under the gun to meet the June 3rd deadline.

 

Despite the stress, Vaughn says that he is very bullish about the film's chances in comparison to the other superhero films hitting this Summer - “With ‘Green Lantern,’ I don’t know about that one, I couldn’t get my head around the trailer, to be honest … look, I will say the following: X-Men as a brand is bigger than Captain America, Thor and the Green Lantern, all put together" he says.

 

In terms of the period setting and the costumes, he says that "The costumes are blue and yellow as well, because fuck it, lets take it back it the original. Also, by the way, those costumes are hardly in the movie. The main costumes are like these cool 60’s James Bond.” He also added that he's unsure when a trailer will premiere.

 

James McAvoy tells the paper that he is complimenting Patrick Stewart's performance as he takes on the role of a young Professor Charles X. Xavier - “This isn’t a reboot, so I’m not replacing anyone, in which case you might want to try to be as different as possible and stay away from what had been done before. This is a prequel, so I’m the same character, just younger, but the challenge for me – and for Michael [Fassbender] — is to show the same person in a different place in their life; to show someone before they’re this bad guy, before they’re this saint. Charles wasn’t always a … monk, this selfless, sexless monk that he becomes.”

 

Michael Fassbender tells MSN that the film "does deal with each individual mutant, and the ones they’ve chosen are all very much individuals and unique personalities with unique gifts. What’s interesting is that we’ve gone back to a period where the mutants don’t know that there are other people out there like them. They just think they’re freaks and outcasts from society".

 

Kevin Bacon tells Moviefone that you won't see much of his character's backstory in the film and that he's contractually signed for further films. There's a big sequence that takes place in a hall of mirrors, while his character also has a submarine with the interior sets matching the style of the sets of his character's house.

[OptimusPrime]

One word. Sentinels.

[Krakalakachkn]

The first trailer for the movie is up, but in order to watch it you have to go to the facebook page and like it.

 

http://www.facebook.com/xmenmovies

 

 

It looks pretty badass

[MattTaz]

Captain America, Green Lantern, X-Men First Class, Cowboys and Aliens, the last Harry Potter, Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean (yeah 2 and 3 were crap)

Scream 4 (liked the other 3) Transformers 3 (yes 2 was crap)

 

Looks like i'll be spending much of May to July living in the cinema :P

[Vemynal]

I hope it will be a complete disaster, so that fox might consider dropping the rights. That way Marvel could reboot it, and connect it with their expanding movie universe.

 

this.

 

this *so* much.

 

But I don't think it'll happen cuz they have 3 movies planed

[Vidka]

I saw it and I find it cool, I love ♥ my favourite xmen ^^ I like the music too *-*