When Matthew Vaughn was announced as director of X-Men: First Class, you wouldn’t have been errant in guessing that this news would quickly follow. Vaughn and Jane Goldman worked closely together on Stardust and Kick-Ass, so it was logical to guess that she might contribute to First Class as well. Indeed, we’re now hearing that Goldman will work on the script for the X-Men prequel. Read More »
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine features a bunch of young mutants, and some people believe that the film is a setup for the Josh Schwartz-penned prequel X-Men: First Class. But X-Men series producer Lauren Shuler Donner tells IESB that is not the case. And while some characters might “possibly” show up, fan favorites like Gambit do not make an appearance. Donner says that the movie focuses on the first class at Xavier’s school of the gifted, so only those mutants will be featured in the first movie.
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When we first heard about X-Men: First Class, Gossip Girl/Chuck/O.C. creator Josh Schwartz had been hired to write a screenplay that focused on “the other teenage characters attending the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.” But apparently the project is not a spin-off, but a full on X-Men prequel. X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner revealed on Fox Movie Channel’s Life After Film School that the film actually focuses on “the first class of Xavier’s school, way back when.”
“So it’s young Scott, young Jean, young Beast and that’ll be really fun,” Donner said. “I think (the plan) is to follow some of the characters into their own stories, and weave them back into the X-Men world. And hopefully First Class will become its own franchise and we can follow them as they grow up.”
So not only is this a full on prequel, a Batman Begins/Star Trek like prequel/reboot of the X-Men series but Fox hopes to make it the first in a franchise of films. I was kind of excited to see an X-Men film that explores some of the less popular characters.
via: comicscontinuum.com
Back in May, Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz let it slip that he was writing a young X-Men spin-off. 20th Century Fox has remained mum, but now Variety has confirmed the project and is reporting that Schwartz declined an offer to direct the film.
Taking the name of a 2006 comic book series, X-Men: First Class will center on the other teenage characters attending the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. The comic line-up includes Iceman, Rogue, Angel, Colossus, Jubilee and Shadowcat, but the film will probably feature cameos from some of the main X-Men line-up. Not much is known beyond that, as Fox is not releasing any details. But it seems to me that they are looking for a director to helm the project.
Josh Schwartz, the creator of Gossip Girl, Chuck, and The O.C., let it slip that he’s currently working on the screenplay for the next X-Men film, a prequel/spin-off of sorts. The film will center on the other teenage characters attending the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.
“I’m very well aware that I’ll be bludgeoned by purists, but I love its mythology, and it comes with a pretty hefty paycheck,” Schwartz told Black Book Magazine. “It’s not like I’m adding new characters like Toaster Head, or anything like that. The Hulk looks like it’s going to be terrible. And why does he look like he’s fighting against the monster from Cloverfield? I mean, with Transformers, it’s not like fans were going to come back saying, ‘You used the wrong car.’ This, however, is a different story.”
Schwartz also admits that hack director Brett Ratner “didn’t have a lot of credibility going in to the third X-Men movie,” (is this supposed to be to his defense?) and that “Bryan Singer got a free pass on Superman Returns because of his work on X-Men.”
But the question is: Can the guy who created Gossip Girl write a good superhero movie?
