...with Matthew "Kick-Ass" Vaughn at the helm this is shaping up to be one prequel I'm actually somewhat excited about.
And January Jones cast as Emma Frost...me likey, lol.
The 1960s: it was a time of change, a time of upheaval, and a time of mutants.
For a film that hasn't even begun filming yet, "X-Men: First Class" has received a lot of attention. The movie will be a prequel to the highly successful "X-Men" film franchise based on Marvel Comics' long-running superhero series. Casting news has slipped out over the past few months, and it was announced last week that Emmy-nominated "Mad Men" star January Jones is joining the cast. But we didn't know much about what we'd see in the movie until now.
Producer Bryan Singer recently spoke to Ain't It Cool News head honcho Harry Knowles about "X-Men: First Class," and he revealed some notable details about the movie, including the fact that it is set in the 1960s. Singer, who also directed the first two "X-Men" films, states that the movie will show Charles Xavier, aka Professor X (played by James McAvoy) meeting Erik Lensherrr, better known as Magneto (played by Michael Fassbender) as young men in their late 20s.
The story will show Professor X and Magneto when they were still friends and how they assembled the first team of X-Men. McAvoy's Professor X will apparently look different than Patrick Stewart's older version from the first three films. He will have his hair, and he will still have the ability to walk. Singer did indicate that the movie will show what causes Xavier to be confined to a wheelchair. However, that could potentially conflict with the earlier movies, since there were flashbacks in "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" that showed Stewart's Professor X walking.
Singer also confirmed that Kevin Bacon will play the main villain of the movie: Sebastian Shaw, leader of the elite secret society, the Hellfire Club. Shaw is a mutant with the ability to absorb kinetic energy and adapt it into superhuman strength. The Hellfire Club, which covertly influences world events, also includes January Jones' character, the telepathic Emma Frost. Jones, of course, should feel right at home in the 1960s, since that's also the setting of her hit show, "Mad Men," though in the comics Emma Frost dresses a bit more provocatively than Betty Draper does.
With this film being a prequel, we won't see Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, and the other X-Men from the previous movies. One exception is the mutant Beast, played in "First Class" by Nicholas Hoult. It's not known yet if Beast will look human, like he was depicted in the early comics, or if he will be covered in blue fur like his later incarnations (and as he was played by Kelsey Grammer in "X-Men: The Last Stand"). Singer does state in the interview that the costumes in the film will look more like the original comic book versions than the leathery armor of the films.
Ultimately, it makes sense to place the "X-Men" prequel in the 1960s. The comic book was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, and the subtext of mutants being out of place in society was rooted in the civil rights issues of the time. Bryan Singer also states that the film's director, Matthew Vaughn ("Kick-Ass"), hopes to give the movie an international tone inspired by the original James Bond adventures of the era.
"X-Men: First Class" isn't the only superhero movie that's looking to the past, though. "Captain America: The First Avenger" will be set during World War II, which is also when that character first appeared in Marvel Comics.
"X-Men: First Class" is scheduled to open on June 3, 2011.
Vaughn is the real deal. I loved KICK-ASS and if he brings the same energy to this project, the movie could be one of the best comic-book films (like KICK-ASS).
The casting is certainly excellent and the shift in settings will be welcome. Here's hoping!
On the flip side, the fact that Singer is back "in the fold" as a producer probably means Ottman will be scoring, which is unfortunate.
AndyDursin wrote:Vaughn is the real deal. I loved KICK-ASS and if he brings the same energy to this project, the movie could be one of the best comic-book films (like KICK-ASS).
The casting is certainly excellent and the shift in settings will be welcome. Here's hoping!
In my eyes, 3 did enough damage and the Wolverine movie to a lesser extent that I'm sorry they aren't going for the full reboot except I guess if you go back this far there's some story element they could do where you could backdoor a reboot anyways.
I really don't care how they do it at this point. Just fix the thing.
On the flip side, the fact that Singer is back "in the fold" as a producer probably means Ottman will be scoring, which is unfortunate.
I actually like X-MEN III but I was in the minority (though the film's box-office receipts say otherwise). The WOLVERINE movie I agree with you on, but it did so well they're making another one of those too.
I think FIRST CLASS' intent is to basically start up a new series with younger, mostly cheaper actors. They can't keep going on making installments with the other cast when they're getting older and, more importantly, more expensive each time. Jackman they can afford if they do a whole series on its own (which they're doing), but I don't think it was cost-prohibitive to continue on after the third one (which as bad as some fans think it is, was the most successful financially of all three at the box-office).
This way you get all the classic characters in a new era and timeframe, and with a cast that's fresh and more economical to the studio. They can probably lock them up in 3-picture deals or something whereas negotiating with the likes of Stewart, Jackman, Berry, etc. on a per-sequel basis was no longer a wise financial move for Fox.
It's also worth noting that the series started, as a comic book, in the '60s. From what they are saying, the costumes, villains and characters in FIRST CLASS are going to resemble the original Marvel X-MEN comic from the era.
In that regard there are always different cinematic stories to tell. No comic book doesn't spin off storylines from different eras and characters and timelines -- making the process of "reboots" quite natural in terms of movie franchises like this and Spidey, etc.
AndyDursin wrote:On the flip side, the fact that Singer is back "in the fold" as a producer probably means Ottman will be scoring, which is unfortunate.
Sure is.
Ottman's X2 score is the only one of the series I really liked (although it's massacred on the official CD release. The Unmentionable is a much better listening experience).
