Xmen articles

http://egotvonline.com/2010/06/23/8-ways-to-keep-x-men-first-class-from-sucking/

8 Ways to Keep ‘X-Men: First Class’ From Sucking

June 23, 2010 at 10:18 am by Archibald Bayou III - (1) Comment
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News broke this week that X-Men: First Class has selected actor Michael Fassbender to play the young Magneto, and X-Men fans are all a tizzy about who will be cast next in the mutant prequel. With Mathew Vaughn already announced to direct, and James McAvoy signed on as Professor X, all signs point to this installment launching on the right foot. But hold your horses… If 20th Century Fox has taught us anything, it’s that they know how to take a potentially great superhero flick and bugger it harder than the star of a gape film. So, with that in mind, allow me to give some helpful tips on how to restore the Marvel Comics franchise to cinematic greatness.
1. Don’t Feel Obliged to the Continuity of Previous Films


Although First Class is being touted as a prequel to the first the X-Men films, it doesn’t have to be. It could just as easily reboot the franchise. Why be held back by a film series that was half lousy? This is a chance to really get these characters and their stories right, and to do it from the beginning.
2. There Are Other Characters Besides Wolverine. Use Them.


Wolverine is awesome. Everybody knows it. Unfortunately, the first four X-films drove that point home at the expense of a great cast of characters. If First Class needs to give everybody’s second favorite Canadian superhero (after Dan Ackroyd) a cameo, then go for it. But how about some strong development for Jean Grey, Beast or Angel? Or, for example:
3. Give Cyclops A Break


James Marsden is a fine actor, but all he got to do for three films in the role of Cyclops was cry and die. The X-Men’s leader is one of the best developed characters in the books, and deserves more than a bit part in these movies. Recent “X-Men” comics by writers Grant Morrison, Joss Weadon, and Matt Fraction are a great showcase of what makes the visored one so cool. The First Class writers may want to check them out while writing Cyke’s origin for the big screen. And while they’re at it…
4. Go Easy on the Metaphors


Cringe worthy lines like “Have you tried… not being a mutant?” are about as subtle as an adamantium enema. The X-Men’s struggle against a society that hates and fears them is related to by many minority groups, and that’s what makes the books so great. But why stop your awesome action film dead in its tracks with message that does everything but point to the viewer and scold? We get the idea…now let’s make with the shape shifting, claw popping, optic blast violence, shall we?
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Cast Unknowns


Despite the faults of the first X-Men films, the acting was pretty solid throughout. The franchise discovered future stars like Hugh Jackman and Ellen Page, and utilized strong character actors such as Brian Cox and Ian McKellen. A big name doesn’t mean a good film, and on that note…
6. For the Love of Christ, Please Don’t Stunt Cast


Every scene with will.i.am in Wolverine makes me want to eat my f#%@#&! eyes. I’ve seen better acting from strippers. Many strippers, actually… Anyways, nothing will kill First Class faster than somebody like Miley Cyrus as Jean Grey. Casting flavor of the month non-actors doesn’t draw you an audience, and it will wreck the movie.
7. Be Faithful to the Source Material


Mathew Vaughn has shown with Kick-Ass that he can make a sharp superhero film without betraying the comic that birthed it. Vaughn doesn’t need to be slavish to any particular X-Men story, but as long as he maintains the tone and characterizations that have made the comics popular in the first place, he should have a hit. It worked for Christopher Nolan in the Batman films.
8. Keep Those g*&^%$# Studio Hacks Away


X-Men and X2 were pretty solid films. Some fans (while drinking) might even say great films. But X-Men: The Last Stand and Wolverine both sucked on Rye. What changed? The franchise lost director Brian Singer to Superman Returns, and Fox, instead of waiting for him and ensuring a great trilogy of films, rushed ahead without him. The next two X-films had an aimless, mercenary feel, and lousy scripts to boot. Add in Fox’s track record with other Marvel properties (Daredevil, Ghost Rider, both Fantastic Four movies) and you have a studio that is clearly lost. Please leave this one to returning producer Singer and new director Vaughn. The three Marvel Comics inspired movies they have between them may not be perfect, but they beat just about anything else Fox has made in the last decade.

http://www.killerfilm.com/articles/read/an-even-younger-professor-x-needed-37579

An even younger Professor X needed?
Submitted by Matt Keith on June 30, 2010 – 1:44 pm

We already know that X-Men: First Class will go into the back-story of how Charles Xavier and Erik Lenshrr begun the mutant academy, and what drove them apart to become enemies. James McAvoy has been cast as Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Lenshrr. While lately we’ve been hearing casting news on the mutants, we now get word that Twentieth Century Fox is looking for an even younger actor to portray Charles Xavier.

According to Bleading Cool, casting agent Lucinda Sayson is looking for ten-to-twelve year old to play a younger Xavier. As many know, it was stated in the first film that mutation manifests at puberty, which was briefly shown in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Lenshrr’s back-story as it was shown at the start of the first X-men film. Will they also introduce a young Cain Marco, a.k.a Juggernaut, as Xavier’s half-brother?

I suspect this will be treated in the same fashion as it was in X-men Origins: Wolverine, with a brief introduction to the character’s childhood. This does raise many questions as to where the story written by Jaimie Moss and Jane Goldman will go. The film is scheduled to begin principal photography in August, so expect this role to be cast soon.

X-Men: First Class will open on June 3, 2011.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1291371/Such-Beastly-goings-ex-X-Man.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Such Beastly goings-on for ex X-Man

By Baz Bamigboye
Last updated at 6:12 PM on 2nd July 2010

Mysterious forces are at play behind the scenes of the £80million X-Men: First Class movie with one of the main actors being cast, contracted - and then dropped.

Benjamin Walker, a gifted American stage actor, thought he'd achieved his big break into movies when he was chosen to play comic book character Beast opposite James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in the prequel to all the X-Men films, when the characters are in their late teens and early 20s.

But I have now heard from film executives in Los Angeles that Walker is definitely out of the X-Men: First Class comic book movies.

'Fox absolutely loved him, booked him and the next minute they're saying they don't want him. It was bizarre because they'd signed a deal on him,' a source intimately involved in the situation told me from Los Angeles yesterday.

Walker, who I've seen in three plays on and off Broadway, had been thrilled to get the part for it came at a time when he was planning his wedding to actress Mamie Gummer, one of Meryl Streep's daughters.

But the decision about the role came down to an issue over age, as explained elsewhere in this story.

Tom Rothman, the co-chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment, was adamant that Walker's role as The Beast be re-cast.

The Fox studio screened-tested three other potential Beast actors at Pinewood yesterday, but I'm told they didn't seem right for the role.

They are screen-testing over the weekend and all through next week ahead of the start of filming in and around Pinewood film studios.

Strangest thing of all is that late last night, I started hearing that Fox might end up re-offering Walker his Beast role back!

Walker had already done costume and make-up tests for The Beast which, obviously, will now be binned.

Walker's an intelligent actor of great skill and will have no trouble finding bigger,and better, screen roles.

That's if he cares to accept. He also has an offer on the table to do a musical play on Broadway.

He will be the lead in the transfer to Broadway of the musical drama Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which is where the producers of X-Men:First Class saw him and 'fell in love' with him.

What I heard is that once Fassbender, 33, was cast, the ages on the film went out of whack and that Walker, 26, seemed too old to play Dr Henry 'Hank' McCoy, which is nonsense.

When I saw Walker on stage he seemed very youthful. He's got charisma and he's certainly a star of the future.

I saw him in Inherit the Wind, and Les Liaisons Dangereuses in New York but it wasn't till i caught him portraying Andrew Jackson at the Public Theatre in a slap-stick musical bio of the early U.S. President, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, that I realised I was watching an actor with a powerful range.

That's the show that he might move with to Broadway.

Walker's agents in Los Angeles were said to be 'freaking out' over the decision to replace him, even though Fox will pay a fee because Benjamin had been contracted. Whatever the outcome the film's director Matthew Vaughn begins filming in August.

X-Men: First Class primarily focuses on the early careers of Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr (a.k.a. Magneto) when they were working out how to harness their mutant powers.

Those roles played by, respectively, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in the previous movies will now be taken by McAvoy and Fassbender.

Alice Eve is in negotiations to play Emma Frost.

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/movie-news/benjamin-walker-kicked-out-of-x-men-first-class-but-may-re-register.php


Benjamin Walker kicked out of X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, but may re-register?

* July 2, 2010 3:25 pm
* Matt Holmes

We’ve mentioned the confusing age thing in regards to the casting of X-Men: First Class before, and now 20th Century Fox and Matthew Vaughn are starting to see the problem for themselves.

Baz Bamigboye of Brit paper The Daily Mail (who The Playlist inform us is reliable) reports that Benjamin Walker, 28, who was one of the early castings for the X-prequel – last month locked in to play a young Hank McCoy (Beast) – was dropped this week because of his age.

Panic is said to have set in around Fox offices when they examined the birth certificates of James McAvoy (31) and Michael Fassbender (33) – who are playing a young Magneto & Charles Xavier respectively, and they got nervous that Walker is simply too old to play one of the X-students.

Bamigboye has heard that Fox paid Walker a princely sum to end his commitment to the movie then scrambled yesterday to screen-test three younger actors – not being satisfied at all by the talent, and embarrassingly last night mused over the benefits of going back to Walker and offering him his original deal.

Amazing, and only with a Fox/X-Men production would you see this farce.

The question now seems to be – will Walker return to the role he was so cruelly ousted?

Well, we know he certainly won’t be happy by the recent developments, and there’s a good chance he may instead decide to follow his Public Theatre musical show “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” to Broadway, taking the money given to him to ‘not play a character’ and run.

Or… maybe knowing Fox are now in a desperate state, he may try and negotiate himself a better deal and essentially be paid twice for the same role. Nice work if you can get it.

There’s lots of other branches of course connected to this story, one of those being the fate of Alice Eve, the 27 year old beauty who began talks on Monday to play Emma Frost. Surely, if Walker is too old at 28 – so to she will be at 27.

The casting of the X-saga is certainly getting problematic, and Fox are suffering from the quick turn-a-round they brought upon themselves. The film was originally greenlit last month, and will shoot in August for a release next June, a crazy and unprecedented scheduling for a major comic book blockbuster, especially one as complex as the X-Men franchise.

Although they nabbed Fassbender from Sony (which was a huge plus for them), they lost Andrew Garfield this week to Sony, who swung to the Spider-Man role yesterday, meaning they will need to think again over Angel (but at 27 was he too old anyway?).

I would also be re-miss to report the breaking news from Comic Book Movie (the original source on the Walker casting) who have heard from their sources that Multiple Man is a ‘definite student’ in Prof. X’s team and three young actors are being looked at for the part.

Avengers News actually goes one further and says former Abercromie and Fitch fashion model, and brief 90210 actor Kevin Pennington (23) has been offered the role outright, and they expect him to sign on the dotted line.

He was briefly portrayed by Eric Dane in X-Men 3: The Last Stand, as a defectant to Magneto’s Brotherhood, so although you probably don’t remember it – here’s hoping they keep continuity and don’t make him a villain by this film’s end, as we know that is to come.

Here’s the state of play right now with the X-cast;

The only two confirmed castings now are;

James McAvoy (31) as Prof. X – - Michael Fassbender (33) as Magento

We believe Rosamund Pike (31) has been offered the role of Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Prof X’s assistant.

Then the X-students….

Aaron Johnson (only 20 last month) is almost certainly on board to play Cyclops, especially now that he lost the Spider-Man role. He is the perfect age for what they are after here.

Benjamin Walker (28) was cast as Beast, but we now hear he may have been dropped for being too old.

Alice Eve (27) was in talks to play Emma Frost on Monday, but surely there must be some doubt over her casting if Walker was too old?

Caleb Landry Jones (21), Latino Review believe has has been offered the role of Banshee.

Kevin Pennington (23), Avengers News believe has been offered the role of Multiple Man.

Actors still needed for Angel, Jean Grey and presumably Storm.

Then the villains;

Amber Heard (24) is heavily linked with playing Mystique, a character we know will be the in the film as Fox have auditioned several actresses’ for it.

Jack Huston (27) (we believe, but not confirmed) has been offered the role of Mastermind.

Eddie Redmayne (28) (we believe, but not confirmed) has been offered the role of Toad.

Production will begin next month on X-Men: First Class, a ‘George Lucas’ style prequel to Xavier and Magneto’s relationship.

Matt Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Stardust) directs, based on a pitch by Bryan Singer (X-Men 1, 2), that was turned into a script by Jamie Moss (Street Kings), that was written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass).

The movie will be in theatres June 3rd, 2011.

http://screenrant.com/xmen-first-class-rushed-twilight-rob-67114/

Is X-Men: First Class Rushing to its Doom?

Ben Walker declines the re-offer to play Beast in X-Men: First Class which may be getting the Twilight treatment. Is this movie rushing to its doom?

X-Men: First Class being rushed

Over the weekend we discussed the issues surrounding the casting of a key character in Bryan Singer and Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming X-Men: First Class. Ben Walker had been one of the first actors signed for the project to play the character of Beast, but due to Fox exec Tom Rothman’s demands to recast him, Walker was recently let go for what appears to be concerns over his age.

After testing a few other candidates for the role, the offer went to… Ben Walker… again. Needless to say, with an already rushed production start to meet a rushed release date of early next summer, it’s not comforting to see studio execs meddling with key casting decisions by the filmmakers.

According to Showbiz 411, Walker made the decision to pass on the (second) offer and stick with his broadway gig as a stage performer in the upcoming musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.”

What does this mean? Fox has to go through the casting process again to figure out who can play one of their key X-Men characters in the franchise prequel within a very limited timeframe and secondly, they really need to sort out the age dilemma between the character of Beast and the rest of the characters in the film.

With casting Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy as Magneto and Professor X respectively, we’d expect them to be aiming for a young principal cast of mutants and so far, the only real young mutant character cast has been Caleb Landry as Banshee (a character who is actually much older in the comics strangely enough).

For the record, I liked the idea of Walker as Beast. The character brings a higher level of wisdom and intelligence in not only his abilities, but his demeanor, and he works as a more mature X-Men character within Professor X’s first class of mutants. It also plays well into the rest of the series where we see him leave the team for politics, only to return in the dumb battle at the end of X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

What direction is X-Men: First Class taking?

Studio executives reversing casting decisions as we approach the project’s start date is one thing; Not knowing what direction to take with the film is something else entirely.

According to Roger Friedman at Showbiz 411, Fox is concerned about this project and its financial outlook. While James Cameron’s Avatar was a success-and-a-half-squared, some of their recent films have been duds at the box office (Knight and Day, Marmaduke – I wonder why?) and they want to make sure X-Men: First Class is a big hit next summer.

Expect our worst fears – they’re looking to Twilight-up the next X-Men movie with younger hot guys (hence the kick in the butt for Ben Walker). Friedman’s sources say that Fox even looked into the availability of Taylor Lautner… uh oh.

It seems director Matthew Vaughn may be working under the conditions he hates so dearly – that of lack of control. With only a month left before principal photography begins in London, the filmmakers and the studio need to figure out what story they’re going with and what characters work within it. We’ve already seen a pile of rewrites on the script, originating with Josh Schwartz’s screenplay which was taken over by Thor writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller, before Bryan Singer brought in Jamie Moss (Street Kings) and later, Matthew Vaughn bringing in Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass).

If we don’t hear something soon about the casting of some of the main characters in X-Men: First Class, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Fox unveil the likes of Cyclops, Jean Grey and the (new) Beast at Comic-Con in two weeks.

Otherwise, let’s hope for some delays so we don’t get a rushed and messy disappointment. We need a good X-Men movie after X3 and Wolverine failed to bring us back to joy of the first two Bryan Singer films.

I want to say to you that there’s no need for concern, because this stuff isn’t uncommon within the industry and a lot of this could be blown out of proportion. But I am concerned. We all saw what happened with the last two movies so that speaks for itself.

Share your thoughts in the comments and with us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

If you’re a fan, check out our articles on What We Need From X-Men 4 and on What X-Men 3 Could Have Been.

X-Men: First Class opens June 3, 2011.

http://timeslikethose.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/is-young-talent-being-wasted-on-superhero-movies/

Is Young Talent Being Wasted on Superhero Movies?

July 8, 2010

I like a good superhero movie as much as the next person. I really liked the first two Spider-Man and X-Men movies, and The Dark Knight even found its way into my top 10 movies of the decade list. But I feel like we’re getting a huge overkill of suited-up action capers. Now we’re even getting superhero franchise reboots within five years of each other, and a lot of Hollywood’s most promising young stars are suiting up.

The cast of X-Men: First Class is coming together nicely. James McAvoy (Wanted, Atonement) is playing a young Professor Xavier, while Michael Fassbender (Hunger, Inglourious Basterds) will play his nemesis, Magneto. And just today, it was announced that Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man, About a Boy) will be taking on the role of Beast, while Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) is rumoured to be playing a young Cyclops. As much as I like all four actors, I feel like the X-Men movie franchise wore out its welcome a while ago. X-Men: The Last Stand (if only it had lived up to its title) was borderline awful, and last year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine felt totally unnecessary.

The same goes for news of the Spider-Man reboot, which will star Andrew Garfield (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus). As well, Chris Evans (who is no stranger to superhero movies) will be taking on Captain America, with An Education‘s Dominic Cooper joining the supporting cast.

But I suppose most actors try the mainstream at some point in their career, if they can. Even Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an actor known for his decidedly smaller film choices, is making his way to IMAX screens with his work in Inception, and his upcoming roles in thrillers Premium Rush and Looper.

To be clear, I don’t blame any young actor for taking a role in a big-budget movie. The goal is to get your name out there and increase your paycheck, and starring in films like Boy A and Rory O’Shea Was Here for the rest of your life is hardly the best way to accomplish that. But as I see more and more of my favourite young actors sign on to these superhero romps, I can’t help but feel slightly disheartened. As great of an opportunity as a big role in a summer blockbuster can be, I feel like a lot of these actors were already on the rise. And maybe I just take my movies to seriously, but I’d much rather see talented actors in roles that push them and evoke emotion from me. Even when I see Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, which is undeniably fun, I kind of just wish that I was watching him in a different movie, instead. It’s not so much that I’m blaming the actors for taking the roles (because, really, who could resist?), it’s more that I’m getting sick of superhero/comic book adaptations.

**(Side Note: Now that I think about it, perhaps the parade of highly-coifed photos at the top of this post, while quite enjoyable, doesn’t really fit with my plea to respect acting skill over marketability… But that doesn’t mean I’m going to ditch the eye candy any time soon.)

May contain slight spoilers

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/marvelmovies/news/?a=20395

New Details About X-Men: First Class' Script!
From an old X-Men: First Class' draft comes new informations about Matthew Vaughn's prequel: Cyclops, a love triangle...And McCoy's mutation! Check it out!


From The Playlist comes new information about X-Men: First Class' movie. The info comes from an old draft of the movie, surely written by Jamie Moss; we already know the script has been retooled several times, including a recent one by frequent Vaughn collaborator Jane Goldman.

The info are:
- Magneto (then known as Eric Lensherr, played by Michael Fassbender) and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) travel around trying to save mutants. As more news about their existence leaks out, more goverment led operations are endangering mutants' lives.
- Like the comics, they go and build a school for mutants.
- There is a love triangle between Eric, Charles and Emma Frost (played by Alice Eve). Our source didn't want to say too much, but we presume this is one of the factors that tears Charles and Eric apart.
- One of their rifts is apparently also because of their differing ways on how to train and teach their students.
- The script features Cyclops (there's been some speculation out there that some key mutants may be missing in certain drafts).
- We see the transformation of Hank McCoy, how he goes from the regular Beast (Nicholas Hoult) to the blue furry one played by Kelsey Grammer in "X-Men: The Last Stand."
- Apparently some shooting has already taken place, but it might just be test footage.

The film also stars Kevin Bacon as the film's main villain, Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") as Mystique, Lucas Till as Havoc and Caleb Landry Jones (NBC's "Friday Night Lights") as Banshee. There have been reports that some of the casting details may have been purposeful disinformation, we'll see, but it is interesting that names like Cyclops, Angel, Ice-Man and Jean Grey haven't been announced yet.

The film comes out on June 3, 2011!

http://filmmusicreporter.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/henry-jackman-to-score-x-men-first-class/

Henry Jackman to score X-Men: First Class
August 10, 2010

Film Music Reporter has learned that Henry Jackman has been hired to score the upcoming comic book adaptation X-Men: First Class. The project reunites Jackman with director Matthew Vaughn after their collaboration on Kick-Ass earlier this year (alongside John Murphy, Ilan Eshkeri and Marius DeVries). X-Men: First Class tells the origin story of the characters of the X-Men series including Magneto and Professor X. The movie is expected to start shooting soon for a June 3, 2011 release date. The film’s cast includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence and Rosamunde Pike. Jackman follows Michael Kamen, John Ottman, John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams as the fifth composer scoring a movie in the X-Men series.

Jackman also has three other projects coming up. He will be scoring the upcoming Disney animation Winnie The Pooh scheduled for a July release next year. The movie is directed Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall (Meet The Robinsons) and based on the books by A.A. Milne. Jackman also has been signed on score the upcoming Dreamworks animation Puss in Boots, featuring the character voiced by Antonio Banderas from the Shrek universe. The movie tells the story about the events leading up to the sword fighting cat’s meeting with Shrek and his friends. Additional voice talent will include Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis. The movie is directed by Chris Miller (Shrek The Third) and is scheduled to be released on November 4, 2011.

Finally, Jackman also has the upcoming adventure comedy Gulliver’s Travels coming up as previously has been announced. The movie starring Jack Black, Emily Blunt and Jason Segel is coming out on December 22 by 20th Century Fox.

http://io9.com/5619111/4-reasons-why-matthew-vaughns-1960s-x+men-prequel-is-a-neat-idea

4 reasons why Matthew Vaughn's 1960s X-Men prequel is a far out idea

X-Men: First Class producer/former X-director Bryan Singer recently revealed that First Class takes place in the 1960s and has a pulpy Silver Age feel. And y'know what? I think this might be the thing that makes the X-franchise weird again.

In an interview with AICN, Singer divulged that X-Men: First Class wouldn't be a modern reboot, but rather a 1960s prequel that eschews the first three film's cast in favor of a new roster of oddball mutants. Here's how AICN's Harry Knowles summed up the setting of First Class:

[T]he film takes place in the 1960's. John F Kennedy is the President of the United States. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are on TV doing marches [...] Vaughn is technologically inspired by JAMES BOND's tech of the time. The costumes will be far more comic bookish than we've seen before - and while Scott and Jean aren't here - Cyclops' brother Alex Summers aka Havoc will be, as played by Lucas Till.

Naturally, some folks are nonplussed why Vaughn would replace Scott and Jean with the Wavy Gravy incarnations of unknowns Darwin and Sebastian Shaw (and no, I'm not referring to "the first Anakin Skywalker" Sebastian Shaw — I mean the X-villain who's basically a super-strong Liberace). But I think this radical change of scenery could make the X-films something they haven't been in almost a decade — surprising. Here are four reasons why I'm liking what I hearing:

1.) This sounds like a departure from the standard superhero origin story.

Comic book cinema has been profitable, whiz-bang entertainment. That's why we're seeing Hollywood buy up every character this side of M.O.D.O.K. But the first film in any franchise is inevitably the least interesting. Why? It must follow a familiar (and often lengthy) trajectory that's old hat if you have even a passing knowledge of the mythology. Peter Parker must be bitten by a spider, act like an ass, and learn that great power comes with great responsibility. Bruce Wayne must watch his parents die, act like an ass, and become Homo chiroptera. The origin is a known quantity, and it's a necessary evil to get it out of the way.

It's not until the second film that we get some surprises. Think X2, Spider-Man 2, The Dark Knight, Hellboy 2, and heck Superman 2, what with Kal-El's Magic S force field. That surprised the dickens out of me.

Singer's description of First Class — with its jet-setting, James Bond gadgetry, flamboyant villains (the Hellfire Club?!?), and Silver Age costumes — sounds like a gonzo departure from the streamlined superhero blockbuster we've come to expect (and incidentally, it sounds truer to the classic X-mythos — no Ultimate-izing here). Sure, we'll see the inevitable rift forming between Xavier and Magneto, but this 60s setting seems more Rube Goldberg, less assembly line. They probably won't go with the late 60s Flower Power route, but think about it — far-out astral plane rap sessions between Chuck and Mags scored to Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band! It'd be like The Doors with superpowers!

2.) This sounds like a departure from the Origins format.

Think back to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Despite the many chase scenes, the film was ultimately devoid of tension. A large part of this was the prequel format — we already knew what happened to Wolverine thanks to X2. The more tantalizing bits (Wolverine and Sabretooth fighting in the Civil War and their tenure with Team X) took the backseat to a string of events that were already known to moviegoers.

We knew how Wolverine got his adamantium claws (and how he fell out with his special ops team) in his 5 minute conversation with William Stryker in X2. It seemed a tad superfluous to have an entire movie spinning out of that short and totally satisfactory exchange. I guess Origins was a good jumping-on point if you'd never seen an X-film, but the franchise isn't exactly arthouse.

Singer's description sounds like it could avoid the laborious process of building up things we know will happen. The 1960s setting sounds divorced enough from what we've seen in prior X-films. Sure, Charles Xavier will end up in a wheelchair at some point. Fine, Magneto will wake up on the wrong side of the bed one morning. Hopefully these inevitable sequences won't eclipse the subplots we haven't seen before.

I'm hoping First Class' temporal distance from the original X-trilogy will prevent the needless reiteration that marred Origins. I'm also praying there's no character on par with JuggaloPool.

3.) This could be a reboot by stealth.

If First Class is a success and there's enough demand to see the film's characters again, we could see new versions of the X-Men who appeared in the previous films (barring Wolverine, who Hugh Jackman appears to have a lock on). With the exception of the folks who gilded their commodes with Krugerrands using the film's profits, I don't think anyone on the planet was satisfied with X3.

4.) Betty Draper as Age of Aquarius White Queen.

January Jones as Emma Frost = brilliant casting. Make this happen, folks. Also, make Oliver Platt's mysterious "Man In Black" character Mr. Sinister. Why? Just because.

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=18816&count=0

Could James McAvoy Leave "X-Men: First Class"?
Posted: August 28th, 2010 by WorstPreviews.com Staff

The UK Film Council is responsible for providing funding for many movies, including James McAvoy's "The Last King of Scotland," which won Forest Whitaker an Oscar for Best Actor.

This is the reason why McAvoy has been very vocal in his opposition to government plans to shut down the organization as part of a bigger strategy to cut costs. And this became a huge problem once the actor was cast in "X-Men: First Class."

Director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) believes The UK Film Council needs to be closed due to the incredible amount of money it wastes. He instead would like to see a completely new organization created.

Vaughn has revealed to the Daily Mail that he and McAvoy have discussed theirs views on the situation, which created a bit of a rift between the two men.

"James and I have discussed this," said Vaughn. "He's still in the movie... just. James is an actor and actors don't necessarily know what's best for them. That's on the record. But he's a brilliant actor and he'll be great in this film."

It seems that throwing the word "just" in there may mean that this issue is so important to McAvoy that he may actually leave "First Class."

Source: The Daily Mail

http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/thegeekfiles/2010/11/new-details-on-x-men-first-cla.html

New details on X-Men: First Class reveal year, Kremlin element and Beast look
By David Bentley on Nov 11, 10 12:41 AM

Hellfire Club art1.jpgUPCOMING prequel X-Men: First Class is very much under wraps at present and, considering that it's still seven months away from release, the lack of information isn't that remarkable.

Fans, of course, are keen to find out more about what the storyline entails.

Bryan Singer, a producer on the project, recently spoke about the setting of the film. What we know is that it charts the early years of Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and how that friendship disintegrated.

Factoring into the story somehow is the Hellfire Club (pictured right), a Machiavellian group of affluent men and women who (in the comic books, at least) use their vast influence for their own gain. Heading the secret society is Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, with Emma Frost (January Jones) by his side.

Early pictures of Jones on set at Pinewood included Russian soldiers and Singer had previously indicated that the story did feature the Soviet Union.

Well, a few new tidbits have surfaced on casting, setting and visuals. They solidify the details we have and fill in a few additional pieces of the jigsaw.

Firstly, although we know the main cast, a list at Casting Call Pro details several other roles in the movie, including Russell Balogh as a Russain soldier, Artem Sinelnikov as a Kremlin War Room technician, Irena Kiseleva as a Russian secretary, Will Wheeler as an Oxford University student, Maurice Hunt as a Jew, Leonard Redlich as a Stormtrooper, Andrew Foster as a German soldier, Charlie Hobbs as a refugee and Juan Herrera as an airport worker.

This certainly confirms the Russian element and, to give a clearer idea, here are some file pictures from our archives showing the Kremlin in Moscow.

Kremlin exterior.jpg

Kremlin interior.jpg

Kremlin soldiers.jpg

In addition, a separate page at Casting Call Pro lists Andy Callaghan as a Hellfire high roller, presumably working at the club's HQ.

Beast X-Men comic.jpgMeanwhile, hair and make-up artist Candy Alderson has written about creating styles ("big lashes and Twiggy-inspired make-up", "wonderful behives and rolls") which she says are from 1962. This not only confirms the 60s setting but gives an exact year for at least part of the story. She also gives us a clue on one of the mutants...

There have been questions from fans about how Nicholas Hoult will appear as Hank McCoy, aka Beast, a younger version of Kelsey Grammer's portrayal of the character in X-Men: The Last Stand.

McCoy wasn't always so obviously animalistic in the comics; he began as a relatively normal-looking mutant but with huge hands and feet and ape-like strength and agility. A later experiment advanced his mutation to give him blur fur, claws and fangs.

Alderson reveals in her blog: "I've been spying on Beast, he's being made next to our fitting room. He looks big and very blue!"

There's no mention of whether we will see the character's appearance progress in the movie. But we'll know for sure when X-Men: First Class is released on June 3, 2011.

http://www.scriptflags.com/2010/12/official-synopsis-for-matthew-vaughns-x.html

Friday, 10 December 2010
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS FOR MATTHEW VAUGHN'S [X-MEN: FIRST CLASS]

The 20th Century Fox have released the official plot synopses for Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class via Worstpreviews. X-Men: First Class: "Charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and 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. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men." The Movie Stars: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Caleb Landry Jones, Nicholas Hoult & Kevin Bacon.
The movie hits theaters June 3, 2011.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Shpuples/news/?a=26360


Does The X-Men: First Class Official Synopsis Reveal A New Villain?

The Official X-Men: First Class synopsis has been released, but has it revealed a previously unrevealed villain?

From /Film:

X-Men First Class stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, and Kevin Bacon and will be released June 3. Read the plot synopsis after the break.
Thanks to Screenrant for the heads up. Here’s the official plot plot synopsis.


X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and 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. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

The Screenrant article seems to be sure that “to stop Armageddon” means the X-Men character Armageddon and not “Armageddon” as in the end of the world. (They didn’t even consider that it could mean “Armageddon” as in the Michael Bay film, and that X-Men First Class was all about stopping a movie from going into production. Shame on them.)

Actually, I think the end of the world “Armageddon” makes much more sense than the character for a few reasons: 1) Armageddon was partially created by Jean Grey, who is not in the movie, 2) The plot synopsis refers to Professor X and Magneto as men and mutants but it never refers to Armageddon as either, 3) The movie reveals a “secret history of famous global events,” which sounds in line with an apocalyptic storyline, and 4) Doesn’t it make more sense for the mutants to fight to save the end of the world – from anything – instead of an obscure mutant whose back story doesn’t fit into the world they’re creating?

12/11/2010

http://www.slashfilm.com/xmen-class-official-plot-synopsis-revealed/.

‘X-Men: First Class’ Official Plot Synopsis Revealed

Posted on Saturday, December 11th, 2010 by Germain Lussier

Like most huge superhero movies, we’ve been digesting bits and pieces of information about X-Men First Class for some time now. The most recent instance was a series of spy photos that could have potentially spoiled one of the bigger action set pieces director Matthew Vaughn has up his sleeve. Producer Bryan Singer has also provided several nuggets of information about the film in recent months. Now, finally, 20th Century Fox has revealed the first official plot synopsis and it has some brand, spanking new info. We think.

X-Men First Class stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, and Kevin Bacon and will be released June 3. Read the plot synopsis after the break.

Thanks to Screenrant for the heads up. Here’s the official plot plot synopsis.

X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and 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. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

The Screenrant article seems to be sure that “to stop Armageddon” means the X-Men character Armageddon and not “Armageddon” as in the end of the world. (They didn’t even consider that it could mean “Armageddon” as in the Michael Bay film, and that X-Men First Class was all about stopping a movie from going into production. Shame on them.)

Actually, I think the end of the world “Armageddon” makes much more sense than the character for a few reasons: 1) Armageddon was partially created by Jean Grey, who is not in the movie, 2) The plot synopsis refers to Professor X and Magneto as men and mutants but it never refers to Armageddon as either, 3) The movie reveals a “secret history of famous global events,” which sounds in line with an apocalyptic storyline, and 4) Doesn’t it make more sense for the mutants to fight to save the end of the world – from anything – instead of an obscure mutant whose back story doesn’t fit into the world they’re creating?

What is your reading of the plot synopsis?

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=27003

UPDATE: New Minor X-Men: First Class Spoilers?

A consistent scooper, who supposedly worked on Fox's X-Men: First Class has posted a few additional spoilers including a mutant impregnation, and more. Check it Out!

Following the various plausible spoilers posted earlier today, the same source, a Georgian who has apparently worked on Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class has posted more details to the much-skeptical film. His reason for sharing being the understanding of fanboys' starvation, check it out.

"The suits in the first class are a very vibrant blue and yellow. like new. I think beast has a backpack, but that could have just been the actor's backpack that he carried around. His fur is also a very light blue with dark accents. And his face looks nothing like [Kelsey] Grammer's beast. All the costumes look the same, with little accents that make them personal to the character, which is kind of cool. Mystique looks really good in hers."

"I saw Kevin Bacon on the set only once out of the month we shot and he wasn't in costume, but there was a make-up trailer with Bacon/Shaw written on it."

"Azazel wants Mystique to have his baby. He shouts it out during a fight, 'you will have my baby!" [Nightcrawler?]

"There is a mutant [Riptide] dressed in a purple suit. I don't know who he is, but I saw him and his stand-ins and stunt doubles everyday."

"I can say something major happens on a beach with the x-jet and a submarine. I was also told the beach scene takes place in (Cuban Missile Crisis). The fight scenes I saw were limited to rehersals, and it wasn't so much "fighting" as it was flashy spinning and dodging, but it looked decent. I did see a lot of wire-work. Beast and Mystique definitely use wires, and Azazel will fly/glide over the sub, and he may have something to do with the damage to the submarine."

"My absolute personal opinion, the entire time I spent on this film felt rushed and very 'last-minute'. We never knew what was going on, as far as the schedule went. They were rushing to finish before christmas. I feel like that might show in the final product, but maybe these guys can pull it off. We'll see."

UPDATE: The Georgian is on a roll, sharing even more details now on the look of some of First Class' X-Men.

"The actor [playing Havoc] is a small guy. He has round metal things on his suit. I don't know what they are. I think something happens during a fight or something and the chest area of his suit is torn off because he was walking around with a huge hole."

"I know for sure beast, mystique and havoc are on the [X-Men] team. There are more, but I'm not familiar enough with these mutants to point them out. Azazel is red with a scar on his face. His hair is loosely slicked back (sorry that's the best way i can describe it). He has on some pointy black boots and he will have a CGI tail."

Expect X-Men: First Class to hit theaters June 3, next year. What do you think?

http://www.moviehole.net/201035025-x-men-will-wear-yellow-and-blue

X-Men will wear yellow and blue!?
by Alicia Malone (Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 2:03 am)

Someone over at the Superhero Hype forums is claiming to have some inside information on the “X-Men : First Class” movie. Considering it is the reputable Superhero Hype and not a comic blog hosted on a free weebly account we’ll give this person the benefit of the doubt.. for now.

ComicBookMovie have summarized the information :

•the xmen costumes are blue and yellow. they look good.

•mystique has an xmen costume, so i’m assuming she’s apart of the xmen team at some point. she’s also not going to be blue for the entire movie.

•i personally don’t like beast’s look. his fur is apparently made of some near-extinct albino fox or something. but that could just be a rumor.

•angel has tattoos all over her body and her costume is black, very short and revealing. (zoe kravitz and her stunt double are gorgeous).

•i’m not sure if it’s ok to reveal the villain, but he looks really awesome. he also drank my soda.

•emma frost looks really good. but i don’t like the hair and make-up, although it might translate better on film than it did in person.

•got to see some fight rehearsals. beast, mystique and *the villain*have a fight.

•the hellfire club is either a strip club or a casino. and it might be on a boat.

•a scene takes place outside a submarine. only a small part of the sub is real. most of it is green screen.

•know one scene revolves around beast, havoc and another guy trying to defend xavier from eric. mystique is in that scene as well, but she doesn’t try to defend xavier. i’m guessing by that point, she’s torn between xavier and eric

“X-Men : First Class”, released next year, is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, January Jones and Zoe Kravitz.

More plot info:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=27124

Even More Possible X-Men: First Class Spoilers Revealed!

Hit the jump for more details on the prequel including the fact that it'll be Magneto getting the most screentime and which mutants will be a part of the Hellfire Club. Also, new info on this films relationship to the past ones...

Both myself and DCMarvelFreshman posted some spoilers from someone claiming to have worked on the movie which were revealed via the SuperHeroHype forums earlier this week. Well, they've been at it again, this time sharing plenty of interesting new information on the characters and storyline. As there's no way of verifying this, it's once again best to take it all with a huge grain of salt, but I think you'll agree that it still makes for an interesting read!

Xavier is going to be crippled in this film. Xavier and Magneto have a distinct falling out.

Azazel and Riptide are villains, lackies of Shaw, unsure if they're actually members of The Hellfire Club.

Banshee does not start out with Xavier (well, duh). He works with OIiver Platt's character, The Man in Black, as does Moria McTaggert.

This movie is largely about Magneto. This isn't just going to be Xavier and the X-Men. Magneto has a massive role, probably bigger than any of the other films. It sort of begins with Magneto, and segueways to Charles. It's very much XAVIER AND MAGNETO, though.

Emma Frost has a role about the size of Mystique's in X-MEN. Maybe a little bigger. She uses her powers a lot, so yes, she is in fight scenes.

The falling out between Xavier and Magneto is not over a "chick". It's over ideals. As it should be.

You are being kept in the dark because the filmmakers have something very special in store. Simple, but very special.

It's not an alternate timeline. It's a vague prequel in the sense that SUPERMAN RETURNS was a vague sequel.

What do you guys think about all this? As shocked as I am to be saying this, it almost makes the movie sound good despite the huge differences from the comic books. Be sure to share your thoughts in the usual place! X-Men: First Class is set to be released on June 3, 2011!

http://filmuze.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/x-men-first-class-gets-a-rollcall/#more-105

X-Men: First Class Gets A Rollcall
January 15, 2011
by Leon

Considering it’s out on June 3rd, it’s surprising that there have been NO promo photos/trailers for X-Men: First Class yet. Apparently though, that’s about to change very soon with a trailer imminent – I doubt it will be a teaser either, it’s way too late for them to be messing around with teaser clips of a logo. We need DETAILS!

In the meantime, I’ve compiled a little something on some of the cast of the movie, because in my opinion they’ve made some fantastic casting decisions, so good to see who will be who! X-Men: First Class takes place in the sixties and focuses on the origin of the X-Men, going back to the friendship of Professor X and Magneto, which of course went “a little sour”. It’s directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by himself and Jane Goldman, the team behind Stardust and Kick-Ass.

My most anticipated actors and their mutant counterparts, after the jump.

* James McAvoy – Professor X

McAvoy has been great in his last few big roles, so choosing him for something like this was a great idea. Even though it was sold on Jolie, he really made Wanted his own so he’s clearly well suited to superhero fare. Plus you can believe he’d grow up to be like Patrick Stewart (kind of) so it makes the casting even more believable. Chances are, he’s done loads of research into the character so we’ll be getting a deeper look into Professor X and who he was in his early days.

* Michael Fassbender – Magneto

Another hugely talented actor for what is probably one of the most difficult roles in the film. McKellen was an amazing choice as the older Magneto, showing us a man who obviously lived through some pretty dark times – and now with Fassbender as the man to actually show him in those times, it’s bound to be exciting. Anyone who has seen him in Hunger or even 300 will know how talented he is, so it’s great to see him in such a big budget, large scale film like X-Men. He’s definitely come a long way from the Guiness ad where he swam across an ocean to apologise for something.


* January Jones – Emma Frost

Emma Frost has never had a major film role before (she was in Wolverine briefly), but she’s a well known character in the comics. She’s actually an important part of the X-Men team in the comic books now, but her part in the movie story is unknown at the moment. However, by casting January Jones – a woman who wears sixties clothes for her day job on Mad Men – they obviously want Frost to stand out. Loads of actresses tried out for the role but Jones won out in the end, and in the movie not only will we see her telepathy and white, glamourous outfits, but she apparently turns into her ‘diamond form’ too, which will definitely look great if the effects don’t cock things up. January is a really strong actress so this looks like another great casting, and a great character too.

* Jennifer Lawrence – Mystique

You may not have heard of Jennifer Lawrence but soon enough, everyone will know who she is. In Winters Bone she was absolutely brilliant as a rural girl struggling to keep her family in one piece, so much so that there has been a lot of Oscar talk. And, of course, big roles came calling. This is the biggest she’s had so far, as one of the most popular villains, Mystique. If done properly, Mystique could be one of the standout features of the film, as in the modern-day X-Men she was nothing more than an emotionless morphing woman who did whatever Magneto told her to (which didn’t work out well for her in X3, did it). Hopefully this origin tale will shed some light on why she chose to use her powers for rebel causes, and if she really believed everything Magneto said. Lawrence is young but very talented so I can’t wait to see what she does with Mystique.

* Other castings include Nicholas Hoult as Best, Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lenny) as Angel Salavatore, and Kevin Bacon as potential supervillian Sebastian Shaw. X-Men: First Class opens June 3 and expect a trailer within weeks.

http://www.bscreview.com/2011/01/magneto-is-james-bond-like-in-x-men-first-class/

Magneto is James Bond Like in X-Men First Class?
Comic Books, Movies | Sasha Nova | January 24, 2011 at 10:39 am
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I will admit that when I think of the golden age of comics, especially of the X-men, I think of the 1980′s. Remember Rogue’s enormous hair? Or how about Jubilee’s bubblegum bubbles and big sunglasses? But according to EW.com, the X-men comic book first hit news stands in 1963, and for that reason, the exciting origin story, X-Men: First Class is also set in the 1960s. As you already know, the film, due out June 3rd, “explores the initial friendship and eventual schism between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender).” My favorite part is this next tidbit. “But first they’ll have to thwart a bent-on-world-domination secret society, the Hellfire Club.” Oh yeah! See the first team pic now!

Die hard fans of the mutant comic book team need to read the interview between the director, Matthew Vaughn, and EW. After getting into Vaughn’s mind a little (and without the use of telepathic powers, imagine that), this fan is more excited than ever to see First Class. Vaughn acknowledges that he took some artistic license developing the past history of Charles Xavier and the mutant who will eventually become Magneto. After all, he is not the first writer to do so. “Each writer just totally changed the history to make their plot work,” said Vaughn. “So I can quite safely say that X-Men has a history of reinventing its history for the sake of the plot.”

Also of the plot, Vaughn revealed, “It’s got a lot of teenage angst. The Twilight girls will like it.” I know that’s what attracted me to the comics when I was a tween. Furthermore, Vaughn explained, “The best way of describing it is X-Men meets Bond, with a little bit of Thirteen Days thrown in for good measure. It’s set in the ’60s, and I basically molded a young Magneto on a young Sean Connery. He’s the ultimate spy — imagine Bond, but with superpowers.”

And where does Kevin Bacon fit? “Kevin Bacon plays a very megalomaniac mutant [Sebastian Shaw] who decides that he can take over the world and that mutants are the future.” Surely Xavier and Lensherr will have different reactions to that!

http://www.film.com/features/story/expect-youre-expecting-x-men/44044105

What To Expect When You're Expecting X-Men: First Class
You've seen the first photos. But what can you expect from the film?
James McAvoy in X-Men: First Class

Elisabeth Rappe, Feb 01, 2011

This year, we tilt dangerously close to superhero burnout. One of the four films on the summer superhero slate is X-Men: First Class, and it is in a very odd place. On the plus side, it's a recognizable brand and audiences have eagerly flocked to no less than four X-Men oriented films since 2000. When it comes to comics, audiences are often happier handing their money to characters they already know.

But while X3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were financial successes, they didn't really resonate with audiences. Rabid fans hated both films, and mainstream audiences were underwhelmed. First Class is even trickier because it's a prequel. This has been a hit-and-miss strategy in franchises past, and audiences may be confused by seeing characters recast and dressed in unrecognizable ways. Also, there's no Wolverine. Love him or hate him, he's one of the franchise's biggest draws.

Finally, audiences may simply be weary of this franchise. This will be the fifth X-Men film. Darren Aronofsky will be filming a much-publicized sixth as First Class hits theaters. While geeks can happily read the comics for decades, ordinary moviegoers might be yawning to see mutants persecuted by humanity again. They might be far more interested in what Thor, Captain America, and The Green Lantern are up to simply because it's a novelty. It may be a repeat of summer 2008, when Iron Man blew audiences away with its "new" hero, but The Incredible Hulk left them bewildered and bored.

All of the superhero flicks this year are experiments. But X-Men: First Class might be the most daring because it's looping its characters back to their retro, offbeat, and decidedly less cool chapters. This is the Silver Age stuff Bryan Singer and Jon Favreau desperately chipped out of their superhero flicks, and Matthew Vaughn is taking it on. It's brave. It's unexpected. Any time there is uncertainty, there is a need for guidance, and Film.com prides itself on offering that! So, here's what to expect when you're expecting X-Men: First Class

1. Matthew Vaughn will be in the press from this moment forward.
The proliferation of movie sites has given way to a very specific style of nerd marketing. It's all a big tease that begins with the first official image, and ends with the first official trailer. It's a rocky span where fans will be won, lost, and won again.

Last week, the first official X-Men: First Class image debuted. It was a snafu, leaking out from MSN before being released officially an hour or two later. Fans loathed it and what followed was a barrage of damage control. Vaughn personally emailed Slashfilm, gave a long interview to Hero Complex, and handed out official images like crazy. The teaser poster premiered at Ain't It Cool News. Not content, Vaughn gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly that may have given away too much plot. I suspect this will be his M.O. from this point forward, and we'll be begging him to stop defending a movie we haven't condemned yet.

2. There will be many eyebrow-raising photos of January Jones and Jennifer Lawrence.
You've seen the last of the posh pictures of Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. Fox is going to realize they have not one, but two scantily clad women in the cast. Mystique is legendary for her inability to wear clothes (incidentally, that's not her style in the comics) and for being able to morph into a variety of hot looks. The same can be said for January Jones' Emma Frost, a character who was invented purely to make the other X-Women look like Puritans. I'm a little uncomfortable just thinking about what supple flesh lies ahead of us.

3. Fans will complain about continuity errors and deviations from the mythology. They already are. It will only get louder.
The X-Me universe is one of the craziest in comic book canon. The films made things more complicated by basically chucking out all but the names and powers. Sit down with an X-Men fan, and they will go on a tirade explaining why movie Rogue was so lame, where they messed up Jean Gray, and how Cyclops and Emma Frost couldn't brush shoulders in Wolverine. Actually, you can talk to me. I'll tell you.

When X-Men: First Class was announced, it was widely believed it would be a "reboot" that would revive Cyclops, Jean Gray, Beast, and Storm and try to re-establish them in a franchise that could self-perpetuate. There could be familiar mutants who ushered in new ones (the X-Men are ever revolving), ensuring X-Men movies until the end of time. But First Class has no intention of that, and instead makes things a little more confusing. How was Emma a prisoner of Stryker in Wolverine if she was hanging out with Kevin Bacon? What's Angel Salvatore doing here? Hey, Sebastian Shaw never fought young Professor X, the X-Men were already established by then. Are they really going to bring in Alex "Havok" Summers, brother to Cyclops, and make things even more confusing? Oh dear. Expect lots of posts ranting about how it was done better in the comics until the Internet collapses on itself.

4. It has too many characters. Prepare yourself for loose ends.
I am not silly enough to say the movie is going to be good or bad. Not at this stage, and not based on a handful of stills. But 12 mutants in one film is simply too much. There are characters who will be majorly shortchanged, hanging around in the back, with no purpose other than to look cool. We saw this with X3, we saw it with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and I'm not convinced even Jane Goldman can tie all the superpower strings together here. So don't get your hopes up that this is the movie you really get to know the inner torment of Hank McCoy, or see Mystique and Azazel look meaningfully at one another, the better to produce Nightcrawler. (If they do. See #3.)

5. Michael Fassbender will be fantastic and become an A-List sensation.
There's nothing Fassbender can't do. I just saw a clip of him singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight in German, and even his vocals are sent from heaven. He's owned the handful of images we've seen thus far, and it's clear he'll walk away with the film. That's no small task for someone stuck beneath such a goofy helmet. Most devoted cinephiles already know how good he is, but this will be when middle America falls for him.

James McAvoy will be really good, but no one will notice because of Fassbender.

Sorry, Mr. McAvoy. In 30 years, when you're old and gray, people will point to X-Men: First Class and remark what a nuanced and thoughtful performance it was, particularly in such a popcorn film. It will probably be featured in a montage before you receive a lifetime achievement award. But they're not going to notice it before then.

6. People will hate January Jones.
Have you ever ventured into the comment fields on any Mad Men article? Yikes. Poor Ms. Jones. She seems to be the exact Betty Draper that the show requires -- stilted and hollow, unsure of herself, but determined to be what the world made her. Nevertheless, audiences loathe her and consider her a terrible actress. Is she? I don't know. But it seems to be an unfair criticism. I fully expect it to seep into First Class.

Now, Emma Frost is sort of a Bizarro Betty. Her faux-British manners give her a formality that clash with her bustiers, capes, and pouts. She is supremely confident in herself and her sexuality, and delights in being provocative. She can also control and manipulate minds, so whatever her natural (and silicone) gifts don't get her, her powers will. It's going to be a new Jones. I suspect however she plays it -- be it vampy or ice queen, both of which suit Frost -- will be derided. She's going to be the new Halle Berry of the series. Sorry, Ms. Jones.

7. It's going to feel rushed.
The film reportedly isn't done. Vaughn sounds rushed in those interviews, and its release date was set long before its casting. We already saw what a rushed X-Men film looked like. We saw a rushed Iron Man 2 last year. Even with the noblest of intentions, First Class is going to be rough around the edges. That's what comes of making films just to keep your copyrights away from Marvel, unfortunately.

8. There will be masculine posturing.
Matthew Vaughn's filmography is varied, and he hasn't yet nailed a particular theme or style. But his characters are generally of the school of Guy Ritchie -- full of swagger and bravado, but often kind of dim. Even his most gentle film, Stardust, has some traces of masculine arrogance. Expect the young mutants to take some pages out of Kick-Ass, and be full of vinegar and angst with a fondness for poorly conceived plans that end bloodily.

9. Professor X's bald pate will be given a thoroughly detailed explanation.
These days, we get origin stories for the silliest of things. After Fox's wretched use of "amnesia bullets" to erase Wolverine's memory, I fully expect Professor X's hair to be the casualty of a magnetic blast from Magneto, or a kinetic kick from Sebastian Shaw. It will literally strip from his head. Millions will be spent on the effect.

10. Wolverine will have a cameo.
I know. James McAvoy said there wouldn't be. Bryan Singer drew a line in the sand between "X-Men movies" and "Wolverine movies" to stress there would be no appearance of the hairy one. But they're doing reshoots, and there's plenty of time to slip a post-credit cameo in, especially since The Wolverine will probably be filming in a few short months. Fox can't resist the cameos. We both know they can't. It's inevitable.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/bleedthefreak/news/?a=29876

EDITORIAL: Why I Think Making A Magneto Movie Would Have Worked Better Than X-Men: First Class
With the trailer recently released for X-Men: First Class, I realized Michael Fassbender had stolen the spot light and was all anyone really made a big deal out of. This got me thinking about why I think a Magneto origin story would work much better...

The much anticipated trailer for X-Men: First Class was released earlier today. It was followed by mixed reactions with some fans losing their negative views on the movie. The thing that got most fans excited was Michael Fassbender, who will be portraying the future villain Magneto. I may not have been one of the fans to take back his words of negativity for the movie, but I too was geeking out over Fassbender as Magneto. This of course got me thinking why didn't they go through with the planned Origin film for the character?

Now I am fully aware that a good deal of X-Men: First Class will be spent on the origins of both Erik Lehnsherr(Magneto) and Charles Xavier(Professor X). But why would they sacrifice a movie that could be played out so well?




X-Men: First Class has fans of the comics going nuts over continuity changes. The lack of favorite X-Men characters and the screwing up of others was what fans responded so negativly about. The movie features characters such as Angel Salvadore, who even the small amount of fans who have heard of the character were not to excited to see involved. Then came changing the age of Emma Frost so she could be a love interest to Charles, which broke Fox's own movie continuity as she appeared as a teenager who was rescued by Charles in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

But the biggest bomb seems to be not only leaving out a major and original member of the x-men team, Cyclops due to being to young(though he was with Emma in Wolverine and about the same age too) but to include his brother Havok. Now I am sure there will be at least one or two peole asking why this is a big deal, but its probably because Havok is Cyclop's little brother which would make him less than a thought at that point in time.

So now I am sure your wondering what this all has to do with Magneto? Allow me to answer.

The X-Men franchise ruined their shot at making a movie prequel that featured the original members of the team without rebooting or destroying their continuity(which they are doing any way). But one thing did remain solid, Magneto's origin. All we saw out of Magneto's past was him being carted off to Auschwitz during the Nazi Regime.

So even after screw ups that prevented some members of the team joining when they were supposed to, they still could have had a solid and comic friendly version of Magneto's past that wouldn't screw up what Fox had already created. Now I know they still have a chance with X-Men: First Class to make a solid back story for Erik Lehnsherr, but why displease a good amount of fans by adding it to a story that only has so much time to tell one of comics most popular origins?

They already had a Magneto movie planned, and had plenty of source material to work with. Now one of my favorite stories in my eight years of reading comics was a story called X-Men: Magneto Testament. This series chronicled the early life of Erik Lehnsherr from his first experience with the Nazi Regime as well as his many years spent Auschwitz.

This could have served as a fantastic starting point for a solo Magneto flick that could also leave off from the beginning of the events of X-Men: First Class, so the studio could get a double payday. But instead they are giving less screen time to explain the story of the most popular villain in comics.

Magneto could have handled his own solo movie without question. It could have been Fox's chance to easily deminish the negativity of their X-Men for at least one movie. Magneto deserves the big screen treatment not only because he was their since day one of The X-Men but also because his origin can tell a very compelling story that Fox would not be required to change due to their own movie continuity.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657668/x-men-first-class-trailer.jhtml

Feb 10 2011 1:53 PM EST 9,380
'X-Men: First Class': Everything We've Seen So Far
Before the hotly anticipated trailer debuts, we thumb through our first peeks at Magneto, Charles Xavier, Emma Frost and more.

By Eric Ditzian (@ericditzian)

The first trailer for "X-Men: First Class" is only hours away from going live on the film's Facebook page, giving us our first look at footage from the upcoming superhero flick.

It's been a long time coming, considering that Fox first gave a go-ahead for the script back in 2008. Since then, we've gleaned all sorts of insight into the project, from interviews with behind-the-scenes players to production rumors to casting confirmations. And since filming began late last summer, we've been gifted with a slew of set photos and official production shots. Before the trailer arrives, let's review everything we've seen so far.

First Look at January Jones
Our initial peek at "X-Men" came early last September, when photos of the "Mad Men" star — in full, fur-hatted costume as telepathic Emma Frost — popped up online. The aesthetic for the outfit seemed to be retro-futuristic, at once in keeping with the film's '60s-era setting and the mutants' ahead-of-the-human-curve outlook. The photos also indicated — based on the presence of a red-starred jeep and helicopter — that the military will somehow factor into the story line.

Meet James McAvoy
Weeks later, we got our first look at McAvoy as Charles Xavier. Although taken at night and a little blurry, the photos once again showcased the film's retro vibe. According to a report from an onlooker on the Oxford, England, set, the scene in question features Xavier "getting doctorates in theology and philosophy from Oxford University in the 1960s, his manipulation of student uprisings using his psychic powers and the way he meets best friend-turned-archrival Magneto."

The Fallen Blackbird
By December, the production had shifted Stateside and we got a tantalizing look at Xavier's Blackbird ship. The aerial shots seemed to indicate the ship had crashed on a beach. The actual location of the shoot was an island off the coast of Georgia, but speculation suggested the in-film setting would be Muir Island, Scotland, where Xavier conducts experiments to better understand the mutant gene. Weeks later, a supposed "X-Men" storyboard indicated that a mutant may be responsible for a Blackbird crash.

Look at All Those Mutants!
In January, a photo popped up showing a bunch of mutants together, including Jones, McAvoy, Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert) and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique). It turned out the photo was an early leak, and director Matthew Vaughn was not pleased.

"When I found out, I said, 'What the f--- is this sh--?' and Fox is running around trying to figure out what happened as well," he said. "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."

Official photos soon arrived: Kevin Bacon as Hellfire Club baddie Sebastian Shaw, rocking an ascot and talking business with Jones; Fassbender and James McAvoy looking stylish and concerned alongside some of their mutant students; a helmet-clad Fassbender as Magneto; and McAvoy employing Xavier's gift of telepathy.

Most recently, looks at Magento from behind and the full X-Men logo were published on Wednesday, ahead of the trailer premiere.

"I'm a fan of X-Men. We're not bastardizing X-Men, I'm trying to get them back to being whole again," Vaughn said. "It's definitely more serious and more realistic, and I think that's something that had to happen. That's my feeling about the world we live in right now. I think the glossy colorful superhero film sorta had its day."

Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

http://www.metro.co.uk/film/855163-x-men-first-class-meet-the-cast

Ann Lee - 10th February, 2011

X-Men: First Class - Meet the cast
As the trailer for X-Men: First Class is expected to debut today, we introduce you to the new cast for the prequel to end all prequels.

(L-R) Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Rose Bryne (Dr Moira MacTaggert), January Jones (Emma Frost), Jason Flemyng (Azazel), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Lucas Till (Havoc), Zoe Kravitz (Angel), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (Xavier) (L-R) Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Rose Bryne (Dr Moira MacTaggert), January Jones (Emma Frost), Jason Flemyng (Azazel), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Lucas Till (Havoc), Zoe Kravitz (Angel), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (Xavier)

Michael Fassbender - Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto

Leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Mutants and one of Professor Xavier's best buddies until the pair fall out. Michael Fassbender first came to everyone's attention as IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in Hunger. He's since appeared in Inglourious Basterds but apart from a role in 300, X-Men: First Class will be his first real crack at the mainstream.

Rose Byrne - Dr Moira MacTaggert

A scientist who specialises in genetic mutation, MacTaggert will also be making eyes at Professor Charles Xavier. Byrne was recently seen on the big screen opposite Russell Brand in Get Him to the Greek.

January Jones - Emma Frost aka The White Queen

Also known as The White Queen, Frost is a telepathic mutant who has the power make herself virtually indestructible by transforming her skin into a solid diamond surface. She is played by Mad Men star January Jones.

Jason Flemyng - Azazel

Flemyng plays Nightcrawler’s father Azazel who has been described as a teleporter. The actor has appeared in Clash of the Titans, Kick-Ass and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.

Nicholas Hoult - Hank McCoy aka Beast

Hoult has come a long way since starring in teen TV drama Skins. He has been cast as an ex-scientist who is transformed into a scary-looking mutant, but don't worry, he's still a softie underneath.

Lucas Till - Alex Summers aka Havoc

Till stars as Cyclops' brother who can absorb cosmic energy and fire out blasts from the energy.

Zoe Kravitz - Angel aka Tempest

The daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, Zoe plays a mutant who has wings that can vibrate and who can also vomit up an acidic substance. Tasty.

Jennifer Lawrence - Raven Darkholme aka Mystique

Lawrence takes over from Rebecca Romijn as villainous shapeshifting mutant Mystique whose skin is an eye-catching blue.

James McAvoy - Professor Charles Xavier

Shameless and Atonement star McAvoy takes a break from his usual serious big screen roles to play Professor Charles Xavier, the leader and founder of the X-Men.

http://hotword.dictionary.com/x-men/

The HOT WORD

What does the “x” in “X-Men” stand for?
February 11, 2011

The debut of the trailer for a new X-Men movie (“X-Men: First Class”) has reignited fervor for the mutant superheroes. Since the letter “x” features a history worthy of its own comic book, we’re always extremely excited to extend ourselves down an x-marked path. Does the “x” in X-Men stand for unknown, as in x-ray or the “X-Files?” Nope.

The logical next guess would be that the x relates to the name of the groups’ leader, Charles Xavier. Since the first issue of the comic book hit the stands in September of 1963, the wheelchair-bound telepath Professor X (as Xavier is also known) has led the group he dubbed the “X-Men.” But the Professor’s fondness for “x” has more to do with comic book creators’ penchant for alliteration (think Clark Kent, Peter Parker), than the name.

According to comic book lore, the “x” refers to the “X-Gene,” a fictional genetic marker that is not present in most humans, but is possessed by the mutants. It’s the equivalent of Popeye’s spinach, giving the mutants of the Marvel Comics universe their superheroic abilities. The concept behind the “X-Gene” is also what distinguishes the “X-Men” in comic book history: the heroes are born with powers that are sometimes scary and uncontrollable, leading the mutants to be ostracized from mainstream society.

Throughout the long run of the comic, the “x” has also implied “extra power” and conjures an association with a cause of the comic book mutations: radiation exposure.

Despite the name, the X-Men are not all men. Female X-men include the mighty Jean Grey, who was born with telepathic and telekinetic powers, and Storm, who has the ability to manipulate the weather.

http://geekcinemareviews.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/preview-x-men-first-class-fox-prequel/

Preview: X-Men First Class (FOX Prequel)

June 3rd 2011 FOX will be releasing a new X-Men movie set in the 1960′s leading up to the FOX trilogy. All of the real X-Men fans (lover of the comics) out there were all hoping this was a real reboot like what they are doing with “The Amazing Spider Man” But sadly it is FOX just taking the name of the comic and making their own stories… again. The film is a prequel to the first three movies, set during the 1960s, with John F. Kennedy as president of the United States. foX-Men: First Class parallels the history of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Civil Rights Movement. The villains of the film will be the Hellfire Club. The plot is as follows:

“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 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. “

So fist let me say this: Why call it “X-Men: First Class” when it isn’t based on the X-Men First Class comic?
X-MEN FIRST CLASS – THE COMIC

The X-Men FIRST CLASS is available in 2 volumes Trade Paper Back. Volume 1 in 2007 as an 8 part series and Volume 2 in 2008 as a 16 part series. the synopsis:

X-Men: First Class Vol. 1

The original X-Men team; Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Beast and Angel, face off new nemesis and team-up with other super heroes. They face off a living plant in Greenland, they enter the mind of Professor Xavier, team-up with Dr. Strange, Thor and Gorilla Man The team also deal with Skrulls, the Lizard and work love problems with Angel and the Scarlet Witch.

X-Men: First Class Vol. 2

A new series goes on with Jean having some girl bonding with the Invisible Girl. Have the team isolated in Island X where Mastermind tricks them to stay there. The team takes some vacations. They face off the Hulk and lose their powers during a Sentinel attack. Later because of a Catalyst they over power and defeat the Sentinels. Later then the X-Men see their future selves and how they could end up. Showing Iceman as a huge monster, Beast is a beast and Jean is a Phoenix. Later the Scarlet Witch is auditioned to be a SHIELD agent and then turns them down. After a mission everybody gets sick except for Cyclops so he has to deal with a maniac and death. The team later teams-up with the Continueteens and defeat Mysterio. The Team then gets a sudden change in members since Angel finds a civilization where he’s accepted no matter how he looked while looking for his aunt. While Angel was enjoying being accepted the X-Men get an android as a 5th member of the X-Men, but it turned out that he ended up being consumed by lava because he wanted to look human but couldn´t although Jean saved his brain. Back home the team talked on how they missed Angel.

Then in 2009 they made UNCANNY X-MEN: FIRST CLASS - The early days of the X-Men’s second generation are revealed in an all-new series starring Cyclops, Storm, Banshee, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Phoenix! Professor X invites the mysterious Inhumans into the X-Men’s home, but when Wolverine and Gorgon meet, the party turns ugly! Nightcrawler faces a crisis of faith and searches for an answer in the Inhuman city Attilan – but has he found his salvation or ultimate destruction? Don’t miss a culture clash that will rock both super-teams to their cores!

Okay, that seems pretty straight forward. But FOX has other plans for their movie prequel trilogy.

— — —
foX-MEN FIRST CLASS – FOX’s MOVIE

FOX-Men is at it again. They took the name of the X-Men and they are abandoning the Comic book and making their own movies. This is just another example why ALL MARVEL movies should be back in the hands of MARVEL and with the new owners Disney. Or at least to Universal who is doing amazing things with Marvel movies like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 1&2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. And look at Columbia Pictures who is rebooting the Spider Man franchise because they know that these movies should be closer to the comic. Some one needs to Get the X-Men back from FOX and make them stop ruining our childhood heroes!

I will do a full REVIEW when the movie comes out if I can sit through it with out walking out or throwing my drink at the screen. This is a preview based on the trailer they just released.

The Trailer:

It appears that Magneto is on the X-Men team. And Prof X has hair and is not in a wheel chair. There are already so many things wrong just by the list of Mutants here.

The Mutants in the new movie are:


Angel Salvadore played by Zoë Kravitz

Azazel played by Jason Flemyng

Banshee played by Caleb Landry Jones

Beast played by Nicholas Hoult

Darwin played by Edi Gathegi

Emma Frost played by January Jones

Havok played by Lucas Till

Magneto played by Michael Fassbender

Moira MacTaggert played by Rose Byrne

Mystique played by Jennifer Lawrence

Professor X played by James McAvoy

Riptide played by Alex Gonzalez

Sebastian Shaw played by Kevin Bacon

Toad played by Unknown

———————-

There are already too many things I am not liking even just from the trailer, Prof-X and Magneto, Beast being Cat form.

I get the Hell fire Club, that explains some of the mutants listed like Emma Frost (The Whit Queen), Sebastian Shaw (The Black King) … what i am not looking fwd to is The sexuality .. I can already tell there will be too much.. and the HELL FIRE CLUB .. “The Hellfire Club is a centuries old organisation with roots in Britain during the 18th Century. It’s members were infamous rakes who used their connections within the club to further boost their social standing and to indulge their sexual excesses.” You see Mystique in bed seductively and Angel Salvadore naked from the back (Bug Wings). I also do not like the trying to mix this in to history. Yet another attempt of FOX not being original.

We will have to see how this turns out. I want to like it, but the fact that it is not a reboot, I already have a bad attitude going in.

What are your thoughts?

~ by jymevans on February 16, 2011.