When it was announced the X-Men: First Class sequel would be called X-Men: Days of Future Past speculation arose as to the involvement of cast members from the original trilogy, as the story from the comics alternates between past and future versions of the X-Men.
X-Men director and producer Bryan Singer suggested we may see some familiar faces return earlier this year when he revealed “there’s a strong desire to broaden out the universe” and “perhaps even bring some connectivity between the films”. Now Patrick Stewart appears to have confirmed at a recent comic convention that he’ll be reprising the role of Charles Xavier.
From Newsarama:
If his recent nod at an Apple store seemed to suggest he’d be returning to the silver screen in the role of Professor X, when asked directly by a fan during his Q&A panel, the Englishman gave a knowing smile and spoke the words many have been waiting to hear: “I think there is every possibility.”
He proceeded to enthusiastically run down the list of his female co-stars: “Halle Berry! Famke Janssen! Rebecca Stamos! Anna Paquin!” The crowd roared back with delight, opting not to point out his mistake regarding Rebecca Romijn’s current last name. He continued, saying “yes, I’ll be reprising…” only to be cut off by his son Daniel, who proceeded to throw out the names of his father’s male co-stars, Hugh Jackman and Sir Ian McKellen.
The Days of Future Past storyline alternates between present day, in which the X-Men fight Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a future timeline caused by the X-Men’s failure to prevent the Brotherhood from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly. In this future universe, Sentinels rule the United States, and mutants live in internment camps.
Story elements will obviously change to fit within the movie universe, but the prospect of seeing Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and others among the current line-up is something for X-fans to geek over.
Filming will begin early next year under the direction of Matthew Vaughn for a July 2014 release.
