The Future Of The X-Men Franchises

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The Future Of The X-Men Franchises - 16/10/2009 8:11:21 PM

Empire Admin

Posts: 26280
Joined: 29/6/2005

Post your comments on this article

Post #: 1

- 16/10/2009 8:11:22 PM

deathbat6661

Posts: 128
Joined: 2/5/2007
From: North Yorkshire

Younger-ish Magneto = Misha Collins.
I want that man in the Marvel 'verse, I think Magneto would be a great start for him.

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Post #: 2

Deadpool on the right track, but X-men: First Class tro... - 17/10/2009 1:16:55 AM

calicokat

Posts: 1
Joined: 17/10/2009

Back in 1963 nobody batted an eye at five white kids in a massive mansion in upstate New York in a story about discrimination and Otherness. This is not 1963, and five white, straight, cisgendered Christians, four out of five of whom are male, are going to look completely horrible whinging about persecution on screen. Unlike in 1963, where it wasn't alright to begin with, it's also general public knowledge now that that Is Not On.

It took Marvel until 1975 to introduce a black character into the series and that character's mutation gave her white hair and blue eyes, diminishing the 'Africanness' of her features. Today, with excellent titles like X-Factor, there are many characters of color and even homosexuals like me in the books. (I, myself, am a white lesbian.)

Producing a story that back-peddles fifty years in terms of what little ability comics and film have gained to openly discuss race and gender and prejudice is pretty distasteful.

Deadpool is the most promising sounding thing they have on the table, right now, and mostly because Ryan Reynolds is a fantastic comedic actor. With their track record so far I doubt they'll actually disfigure his pretty face with prosthetics to stay true to Deadpool's tumor-ridden body in the comics.

With the Hal Jordan Green Lantern story going to film instead of the John Stewart story it looks like comic book movies will continue to stringently abide by what pretty, whitewashed comic book stories they can find or create because, as it turns out, those five white kids in upstate New York with their 'uncanny' mutant powers and all the characters that followed didn't teach America the first thing about discrimination.

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Post #: 3

- 17/10/2009 2:09:03 AM

res

Posts: 2
Joined: 17/10/2009

Ben Whishaw for Magneto?

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Post #: 4

I want Gambit - 17/10/2009 2:18:56 AM

paulie walnuts

Posts: 5
Joined: 11/2/2008

Who gives a fuck about the other spin-offs (except Deadpool). Gambit is the best character in the Marvel universe. He deserves alot more than a 10 min sidekick role to Wolverine.

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Post #: 5

- 17/10/2009 3:48:30 AM

MissMarie

Posts: 4
Joined: 3/3/2009

I just want Bryan Singer to come back.

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Post #: 6

- 17/10/2009 5:17:38 PM

SoapyKC

Posts: 11
Joined: 9/5/2009

Wow that was a great feature, because I kind of got lost in what was happening with the X-Men franchise, so thanks Empire. I'm pretty excited for Deadpool and Wolverine 2.

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Post #: 7

- 17/10/2009 6:58:04 PM

freemantle_uk

Posts: 70
Joined: 29/2/2008

What X-Men fans and the X-Men series really needs is for Bryan Singer to come back and do X-Men 3 properly, focusing on Emma Frost, the Phoenix and the Sentinels.

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Post #: 8

- 17/10/2009 7:12:50 PM

Agent69

Posts: 57
Joined: 18/12/2006

Magneto project aside, the rest sound absolutely horrible.

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Post #: 9

FOX=FAIL - 18/10/2009 1:00:09 AM

down4orce

Posts: 25
Joined: 3/2/2008

As long as Fox excecs control the scripts/production, we will have more of the same cash cow drivel. And who the shit thinks an X-Men Babies movie/series is a good idea!!! The bottom of the barrel has clearly been reached (and then some!).

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Post #: 10

Just stop now!!! - 19/10/2009 11:46:55 AM

Shaunyboy27

Posts: 27
Joined: 22/4/2009
From: Aberdeen, Scotland

From the sounds of it the head of Fox shouldn't be making decisions about the direction of the franchise! The Wolverine and Deadpool concepts have a lot of potential but we know they won't be executed well! The best films are those who do bold things! Make a decision and let Deadpool break the fourth wall. Would totally suit a character like him and bump up the rating! Make them how it should be instead of safe, dull options!

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Post #: 11

Mistake - 19/10/2009 5:20:30 PM

luke666

Posts: 1
Joined: 4/1/2008
From: uk

First of all:
i wondered if any of you have noticed the spelling mistake on line (10) just after "A+ writer, so we want to Chris McQuarrie" where i think it should say "A+ writer, so we (went) to Chris McQuarrie" sorry to be a stickler but isn't this meant to be journalism.

Second of all:
what a surprise another disgruntled Lesbian, "CalicoKat" what the F..k are you talking about, Comics an Film not having the ability to openly discuss Race an Gender, what a naive series of comments and why do you feel you have to project the fact you are a (white lesbian) into the argument. i suppose your Pre-Dated story will only consist of a crack team of superhuman lesbians struggling against the oppression and bigotry of the white human male. culminating in a huge street brawl taking place in the middle of a lesbi-pride parade. I'm not hating the Lesbian or Gay movement, but don't be so conceited about it.

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Post #: 12

As long as... - 20/10/2009 11:38:20 AM

bronco3114

Posts: 246
Joined: 4/12/2007
From: London

...all the various stories from the X-Men sub-universe are stand alone I don't have a problem with it. Wolverine was a bag of shit from begining to end dispite the fact that Jackman, Reynolds and Schreiber (suprisingly) where so well cast. As long as it's plot driven as opposed to the commercially driven and in-plausible nonsence that Wolverine was then there's no reason to be so sceptical. Some films will succeed and some will invariably fail but there's no reason if say Magneto, X-Men: New School or Deadpool have to go along the same tangent, tone or story arc as Wolverine or the previous X-Men (they rarely do in the comics). Fox and Donner are making all the right noises (though we've heard them before) if they treat the various other arcs i.e Gambit, Cable/X-Man, X-Factor etc in the spirt of they where intended and don't rape the story too much then I look forward (in hope as much as excitment) to their next efforts.

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Post #: 13

RE: As long as... - 23/10/2009 9:56:20 AM

ohwhatfun

Posts: 6
Joined: 6/9/2006

@Calicocat

Sorry, but I cannot agree with your views on this.

Like it or not, the X-Men origin story was originally about 5 white kids, admittedly this was at a time in history when there was not the equality that we have now, using kids of the same gender and race is important in terms of it being faithful to the original story. Would Bishop, another fan favourite African-American character look the same on the big screen, or be recognised by fans of the comic if he was white? Probably not. Would there be a massive outcry due to the changing of his gender? Hell yeah!

As for your comments about the Green Lantern movie not using Jon Stewart as the main character and instead going with Hal Jordan, this perhaps couldn't have anything to do with the fact that Hal Jordan was GL prior to Jon Stewart? Personally, I think that using Hal is a better option as it provides more opportunity to bring in later GL's such as Jon and Guy Gardener in subsequent films and opens them up to the possibilities of their own films as a result.

Short version of this story? Stick to the canon and you won't go far wrong.

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Post #: 14

RE: As long as... - 23/10/2009 10:24:12 AM

elab49

Posts: 51544
Joined: 1/10/2005

But unless they are doing it as a period piece I have no problem acknowledging times change.

They were 5 white kids - but that was the point. And the comic went on over the years to quite extensively deal with the idea of difference and how we treat it. They were the outsiders in society - not the nice clean-cut heroes who got their powers normal ways. And they were taking that message to a predominantly white audience (I think calicokat might have missed the fact that was the point, slightly).

That message is more redundant now, because we get it, and it no longer needs to be presented in that manner (one hopes - but I doubt the BNP would be a natural target audience

). Canon was the ideas and the stories - not just, or even really needs to be, physical identikits of the characters.

Surely the most important thing is the writing and direction, particularly given the mess the last couple have been?

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Post #: 15

RE: As long as... - 23/10/2009 12:39:45 PM

britesparc

Posts: 1967
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Manchester

Whilst I think calicokat�s argument was a little na�ve (and a touch �bang the drum�) she does raise some very good points regarding diversity in superhero films. And luke666�s reply was pretty disgusting, so I�m inclined to side with her anyway.

A few exceptions aside, I don�t really have any problem with the ethnicity (or, in some cases, gender) of comic book heroes, or literary figures in general. It goes without saying this isn�t applicable in all cases, but (correct me if I�m wrong here, guys and gals) there�s no reason why Cyclops couldn�t be black or Jean Grey couldn�t be Asian. Likewise, Green Lantern, the Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary� all, in my opinion, colour-blind heroes. Even Spider-Man would work: all he has to be is smart, downtrodden, and working-class. He�s obviously not gay, though, unless he�s attempting to over-compensate with Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane.

Wolverine, Captain America (if you�re sticking to the 1940s-set origin), Batman, Superman, maybe Wonder Woman� I think for various reasons, they all still need to be white (I could go into detail as to why if anyone cares�). But the majority of superheroes, I don�t care. Just cast the best actor.

As for sexuality, I don�t think that�s something that can arbitrarily be changed � whilst I do think it would be interesting to explore the ramifications of a gay Robin, for instance, making Dick Grayson a homosexual would seem either like box-ticking or just screwing around with canon for the sake of it.

So, in conclusion: yes, superheroes are too white. By all means, cast actors of colour and include more gay and lesbian characters (put Renee Montoya in Batman 3! Please oh please oh please!). But I still think they need to serve the story above and beyond all else.

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Post #: 16

X-Men Origins - 23/10/2009 3:22:24 PM

brett27

Posts: 1
Joined: 4/10/2007

When i 1st heard that they were going to do the X-Men Origins, i thought brilliant we get to see all the original characters (wolverine,cyclops,beast, jean grey and iceman) and how they got started, but these days it's not a case of lets make a movie to tell a story it's more like lets make a movie and see how much merchandise can they produce. This means that the story lines are very weak and they don't even bother to follow the details of the original comics.
I hate it when they film producers see a character from a comic that was given (by the original designer) a background and a life and then just decide to completely alter the character's details. (example: Iceman was an original X-men but in the films he was just a kid? Did he just go back in time??????? Juggernaut was they half brother of Charles Xavier but in the film they did not even acknowledge each other as though they didn't even know each other.
WHY WHY WHY do this?
If the film producers want to do this then create a brand new character that no one knows. Don't mess around with characters that people have come to love and enjoy.

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Post #: 17

No Thanks - 23/10/2009 5:33:11 PM

coyoteone

Posts: 14
Joined: 9/7/2009

Unless this franchise calls "do-over" on X3 and gives (Dark) Phoenix the attention she rightfully deserves, I have no intention of giving them any more of my hard-earned money. It is amazing to me that Famke Janssen was able to do as much as she did with that horrible looking costume and the weak-ass direction she got from the ultimate hack, Brett Ratner. I will always remember Phoenix/Jean Grey as she was at the end of X2, with fire in her eyes. Bet Singer would have given us a CGI firebird, majesty and power. What Ratner did with this character and that storyline made no sense at all.

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Post #: 18

Ultimate Battle - 6/11/2009 5:35:04 PM

Wizzard

Posts: 39
Joined: 18/11/2005

Looking forward to both wolverine 2 and deadpool. Top of the list of films to see would be Apocalypse versus the sentinels. Change the killers of the president to the horsemen of the apocalypse and the story from Days of the Future Past could be used. the biggest problem with apocalypse would be his armour without his armour his a huge guy with grey or blue skin which would be easy. His apply to grow into a giant has been done before think Dr Manhattan as has changing arms to weapons like T2.

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Post #: 19

Please don't - 7/2/2010 7:00:33 PM

juneinaz

Posts: 1
Joined: 7/2/2010

My wife was dying to see the first movie and I resisted. I finally gave and took her to see it at one of the "dollar". showings and she said it wasn't even worth a buck. Please Marvel stop cranking out garbage and focus on comics.

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Post #: 20