X-Men, Fantastic Four Film Crossover Won't Happen Anytime Soon
Marvel set the blueprint for unified film universes with Iron Man. Since then, they've made billions at the box office with every subsequent Marvel-related film tying into an overarching narrative. Some of the groundwork for The Avengers was placed in Iron Man, for example. Keeping to a cohesive narrative structure is something that involves tons of planning and forethought and can't simply be rushed through. However, some of the other studios aren't necessarily treating their properties with the same care, rushing through sequel and spin-off announcements like nothing.
It makes sense, then, that a Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover would happen sooner than later. They're both owned by Fox, and each film property is being written by Simon Kinberg. However, that's apparently not the case, if Kinberg's word is to be believed. During an interview with ScreenCrush, the writer was asked point-blank whether or not an FF/X-Men crossover would take place. His answer is somewhat surprising:
Well, it’s complicated. Because none of the X-Men movies have acknowledged the notion of a sort of superhero team — the Fantastic Four. And the Fantastic Four acquire powers, so for them to live in a world where mutants are prevalent is kind of complicated, because you’re like, “Oh, you’re just a mutant.” Like, “What’s so fantastic about you?” [...] No, it is, they live in discrete universes.
The logic behind his reasoning is hot and cold. On the one hand, yes, creating a universe that's already established itself as having mutants would neuter the Fantastic Four's rise as the premier superhero team/family. At the same time, this didn't stop Marvel from creating their universe full of mutants and superheroes. It makes better sense to have each property thrive on their own instead of lumping them all together (re: Batman vs. Superman) and contemplate a crossover down the line. Whatever the case may be, it'll be at least a few years before we see a Thing and Wolverine Fastball Special.
[ScreenCrush via /Film]
Huge Collection of X-Men: Days of Future Past Posters Released
At the end of the month (Marvelous May, if I may), X-Men: Days of Future Past will be hitting theaters, competing directly with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With the film so close to release, the hype has continued to build in all forms of manner, whether they're simply by means of new clips and trailers to special post-credits scenes in films owned by other studios. Keen readers will remember a large number of character posters launched exclusively as Empire Magazine covers awhile back. Fox has taken the same images, but replaced the backgrounds and shed the posters of text, allowing the characters to shine the way they deserve. You can check out all of the new posters below.
X-Men: Days of Future Past will be in theaters on May 23rd.
[via Collider]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Post-Credits Scene Will Be an X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer
I have major beef with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Okay, maybe not with the films themselves, but with the ways Sony and Fox have been handling the marketing for each of the films, respectively.
First, Sony has been going completely overboard with their handling of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It was common knowledge for comic book/film fans that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was going to feature both Rhino and Electro in the film. However, Sony quickly spoiled the surprise of Green Goblin's presence with a half-assed revelation that Dane DeHaan would, in fact, portray the villain, complete with a radical makeover. Soon after the revelation, Sony announced their plans for a spin-off trilogy that would focus on the Sinister Six, six of Spider-Man's arch-nemeses united to take the wall crawler down. That's great, but why rush things not even two films into this newfound universe?
Meanwhile, Fox has been doing their part to ensure the universe they've built around the original X-Men trilogy would be as confusing as possible. X-Men: First Class was meant to be a retcon/reboot that altered some facts from the X-Men films, but then became the first part in a new X-Men trilogy that would lead into this summer's upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. Time travel films are very hard to handle, but when bringing the device into a franchise that already had a confusing backstory to begin with gives Fox the chance to alter things the way they want to while also paving the path for the third film in the trilogy, the already announced X-Men: Apocalypse. I kind of like what Fox is doing with X-Men, but the over-saturation of X-Men stuff over the past couple of weeks, from Carl's Jr. commercials to sharing the film's first fight sequence to the 2938238th trailer is just overkill.
Now, waters are being muddled as it's being reported that The Amazing Spider-Man 2's post-credits scene will feature a scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, fanboys will want to keep their pants on, as this isn't a sign of a crossover between the two studios/properties, but a marketing ploy between Sony and Fox. Variety's reporting that the existence of an X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2's credits is due to a pre-existing contract Marc Webb made with Fox Searchlight to shoot another film with the studio following the success of (500) Days of Summer. However, the director opted to make The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Fox agreed to let Webb out of his contract, but only if Sony would advertise X-Men: Days of Future Past for free, thus leading to an otherwise unnecessary promo for a film the majority of movie audiences would already go see.
In a perfect world, Disney would buy out Sony and Fox's Marvel properties and bring them all under the Marvel Films umbrella. However, the odds of that happening are very, very slim for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, if you're expecting something much more substantial in regards to a post-credits scene with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, your bubble has officially been burst.
[via Variety]
[Trailer 2] X-Men: Days of Future Past
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After five months of waiting, a second trailer for director Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past has finally been released. While a plethora of new footage is revealed in this latest look, the most interesting is the first actual footage of the Sentinels in action. X-Men fans will know that the Sentinels have always represented the largest threat to the mutant community over the comic book series' long life. Of course, for better or worse, the focus of the trailer isn't necessarily on the Sentinels, but on the confusing and sometimes plodding timeline in which Singer is framing Days of Future Past in.
X-Men: Days of Future Past follows three different timelines within the continuity of the X-Men film franchise (dating back to the first film released in 2000) and its spin-offs (The Wolverine) where Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent into the past (X-Men: First Class' continuity) to prevent the friction between Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to grow to the point in which the future is essentially unsalvageable. Characters and actors not seen since 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, like Halle Berry's Storm, will be revisited in Days of Future Past. However, with three generations of X-Men galavanting around and a time travel mechanism, Days of Future Past could very well be one elongated, confusing mess.
X-Men: Days of Future Past will be in theaters on May 23rd.
X-Men: Days of Future Past on 25 Empire Magazine covers
The next X-Men film, Days of Future Past, has been building up momentum over the past few months with the onslaught (no pun intended) of images, trailers, viral videos, and even the announcement of the film's sequel. Over the course of a whirlwind 25 hours, Fox and Empire released an exclusive cover for the magazine commemorating characters from the mutant-filled sequel.
Some of the covers feature X-Men film mainstays like Wolverine, Magneto, and Professor X, but also introduced new entries in the franchise, such as Bishop, Blink, and Warpath. The most controversial of them, however, is director Bryan Singer's vision of Quicksilver, the mutant Avenger and biological son of Magneto. Who is considered both one of the most iconic Avengers and enemy to the X-Men has been nerfed into a '90s club kid complete with gaudy headphones and silver, side-swept hair.
You can check out the full collection of covers below.
[Empire Magazine, via Forbes]
New images from X-Men: Days of Future Past
With the first trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past scheduled for release next week, Empire has released a slew of exclusive images from the film. The seven shots show off Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Shawn Ashmore, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, and even director Bryan Singer. X-Men: Days of Future Past is a time travel/alternative universe film meshing together the cast of X-Men: First Class with the cast of the original X-Men trilogy in an attempt to prevent the Sentinels from being created. The film sounds very ambitious and risky, but could hit well with fanboys and general audiences that were huge fans of the original X-Men films. Check out the images below.
Note: Entertainment Weekly also has some exclusive images from X-Men: Days of Future Past that you can see on their site.
[via Empire]
