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Updates on the X-Men franchise: Wolverine 2, First Class and Deadpool. Magneto is dead

Liam — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:31:05 +0000

X-Men Origins: Wolverine will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK next week, and UK magazine Empire flew out to the US to have a one-one-one with producer Lauren Shuler Donner. As expected, they asked her for updates on Wolverine 2, X-Men: First Class, Deadpool and X-Men Origins: Magneto and she had a lot to say.

Wolverine 2

Donner says that Wolverine 2 is the furthest along out of all the projects and will focus on the relationship between Wolverine and Mariko, the daughter of a Japanese crime lord, and what happens to him in Japan. She says they wanted an “A+ writer” so they got Chris McQuarrie (Valkyrie, The Usual Suspects) who has tightened up the story and has “got really immersed in the whole thing”. 20th Century Fox will also be working with the Japanese Fox executives as they “don’t want to portray the way [Japanese people] speak, dress and act in an inaccurate way.” Although it is “likely the characters will speak English rather than Japanese with subtitles”.

Donner finishes by saying “there’ll be samurai, ninja, katana blades, different forms of martial arts – mano-a-mano, extreme fighting. We’re going to come up with a new style of fighting. It’s going to be awesome.”

X-Men: First Class

According to Donner the script is not finished and they aren’t where they want to be yet. They are trying hard not to make it too similar to the previous trilogy and want to make it different. Donner also admits that the Harry Potter movies are “role models” for them but they “want it to be like the recent, darker Potters. It should not be a kiddie movie – we’re in the X-Men world so you can’t suddenly change the tone.”

She says that there’s still friction between mutants and the outside world, but First Class will be set before anyone knows mutants exist so it will probably have a more secretive edge. Regarding the characters Donner says they will be in Xavier’s School but they will also be off on adventures and some will be “naughty children”. She gives Cyclops as an example who is “a tough kid that bobbed from foster home to foster home, until he ends up at the school and becomes the leader.” None of the characters have been cast yet, but they plan on turning First Class into a whole new franchise so “the casting of the child actors will be all-important.” I’m not sure how young the actors will be but they’ll probably be young enough so we see them grow up on-screen.

Deadpool

Deadpool will be a complete reboot as they want to “ignore the version of Deadpool that we saw in Wolverine and just start over again”. Donner says it will be a “dark, snarky, very funny movie” and they are just working out which villain(s) to incorporate. They hope to have a writer on-board by next month and are currently talking to a few. “We need someone really imaginative because we want to do some really innovative, ambitious stuff. Ryan’s mentioned this in an interview already but there are parts where he’s going to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in the cinema. We have to work out how to do that. I don’t know that Fox will agree with all our decisions, but we’ll see!”

X-Men Origins: Magneto

…won’t be seen for a while, if ever. Donner says the film is “at the back of the queue” out of all the films and she isn’t sure if the script David Goyer wrote is ever going to be made. “Maybe it’ll get made in five years – who knows? I can tell you that Ian McKellen won’t be playing the character the whole way through. We used Lola technology in X-Men 3 to de-age Ian and Patrick for one scene, but it’s very expensive. To do that for a two-hour movie would be prohibitive financially. And to find a younger actor to fill Ian’s shoes, that’s pretty daunting. It’s not easy.”

Summary

The X-Men franchise peaked in 2003. 20th Century Fox have since been too involved with the creative process and we have ended up with disappointments. Although, they have hired Chris McQuarrie to write Wolverine 2 and there is a chance Bryan Singer could return to direct. If that happens Wolverine 2 may actually be a good movie.

If Fox don’t screw things up they could have a new franchise with X-Men: First Class. The films won’t be as good as the Potter ones, but that franchise ends in 2011 and there will be a gap in the market. They need to get an “A+ director” involved.

I’m not that much of a Deadpool fan but from what we’ve heard they want to stay close to the source material. When we find out who they hire to write and direct it will give us an indication whether it’s a potential new superhero franchise or just doomed.

I’ve been wanting to see a Magneto movie ever since it was announced they were making one. Over the years I’ve questioned whether David Goyer is actually the right man for the job, but I don’t think he is. I’d rather get a great Magneto movie in 5+ years than have a sub-par movie start filming next year.

Which movie are you looking forward too (if any)? Can 20th Century Fox bring the X-Men franchise back up to the level it once was?

Rob Liefeld on Deadpool meeting

Liam — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:46:16 +0000

A meeting took place today to discuss the Deadpool movie that 20th Century Fox announced they were making a few months ago. Rob Liefeld, who created Deadpool, attended the meeting and Twittered his reaction afterwards. Here’s what he had to say:

Walking into Deadpool movie meeting!!! Yowza!
Great Deadpool movie meeting! Lauren Schuler Donner and her team are headed in the right direction!
Deadpool movie checklist- DP in costume-check! Breaking 4th wall-check! Loads of killing-double check!
Deadpool movie- YES! Ryan Reynolds is on board!!!
Also excited to discuss possibilities of Cable in future X-films!!!
Clarification, Cable definitely NOT in Deadpool movie, but possible role in future X-films….not First Class.
Donner Company is on top of making the Deadpool movie that fans want. They get it. He’s funny, tortured, clever, a bastard and mucho action!

I guess if the creator of the character is happy then that’s a good sign for the fans. Even though Deadpool/Wade Wilson appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine they are planning on giving him a mini-reboot instead of trying to work the ending of Wolverine into the movie. While this probably won’t make sense timeline-wise, I think it’s better in the long run and will allow Deadpool to have an origin movie all superheroes seem to need.

Ryan Reynolds talks about playing both Deadpool and Green Lantern

Liam — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:52:55 +0000

A few weeks ago it was announced that Ryan Reynolds would be suiting up to play the Green Lantern having beaten off competition from Justin Timberlake and Bradley Cooper. However, earlier this year we saw Reynolds play Wade Wilson aka Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and we soon learned that a spin-off featuring Reynolds as the character was in development. One guy playing two superheroes in two different franchises for two rival comic book companies (Marvel vs. DC). How could this be!? Will it work? Well Reynolds doesn’t have a problem with it:

From Entertainment Weekly:

“There’s no rule that says you can’t play two different characters in two different comic book universes. There’s so many interesting comic book characters out there, I would love to do others.”

If Deadpool will be as close to the source material as they are saying it will be then Reynolds will have a scarred face and a mask, which would reduce the problem (if there is one). At the moment I can’t really see a problem, but that is probably because the films are just getting started. Would people be fine with Robert Downey Jr. playing a DC superhero while still playing Iron Man? How about if Christian Bale became Captain America or another Marvel equivalent? (It won’t happen, i’m just using it as an example).

Ryan Reynolds is the Green Lantern

Liam — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:25:50 +0000

Well that didn’t take long. This morning it was reported that Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds and Justin Timberlake were in the running to play the lead in Green Lantern, and now according to Variety Reynolds has emerged victorious.

Ryan Reynolds has landed the coveted role of “Green Lantern,” getting the starring role in Warner Bros.’ live-action film based on the DC Comics hero.
Martin Campbell will direct. The studio is still working on the picture’s budget, but production is expected to begin in January.
The news caps off a memorable summer for Reynolds, who played Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” a performance that prompted Fox to begin development on a spinoff film. Reynolds followed that by starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy “The Proposal,” which crossed the $100 million mark this week.
Warners and Campbell chose Reynolds, who vied for the superhero role along with “The Hangover” star Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto. The momentum built for Reynolds in the last week, as he was the only actor whose option was extended.

Personally I was backing Bradley Cooper, simply because Reynolds will probably be set up for the next few years with Deadpool and it’s not fun when you have one actor hogging multiple superhero roles. But I suppose he can do both as Green Lantern is gearing up for filming in January and Deadpool doesn’t even have a script yet.

Are you happy that Ryan Reynolds got the role? Would you have preferred a different actor that didn’t make Warner Bros. final 3?

Ryan Reynolds To Get Buried Before Deadpool Returns

Dave — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:15:33 +0000

I may have missed out on this weekend’s pre-Transformers box office winner, The Proposal, but I’ve found myself many a time watching movies I would consider mediocre only to see a single performance lock me in for the whole running time. Ryan Reynolds proved it once and for all in last year’s Definitely, Maybe that he was capable of holding an audience’s attention in a romance. His previous work in broad comedy produced equally stand-out performances, even when the rest of the film rots around him (Just Friends, for those who were wondering).

Now, Reynolds has signed up to play the lead in an independent dramatic film called Buried, which will see him playing a civilian contractor who is kidnapped in Iraq and wakes up buried in a coffin in the desert with only a cell phone, a candle and a knife.

Sounds interesting, if cryptic. Variety has the rest of the details:

Rodrigo Cortes will direct a script by Chris Sparling; production will begin this month in Barcelona.
Peter Safran will produce through his Safran Co. banner with Adrian Guerra of Spain-based Versus Entertainment, which is financing the film. The picture will shoot entirely in Spain, which is home to Cortes, best known for directing “The Contestant.”
[Reynolds] decided to go the indie route as a way to stretch his acting chops in a movie with a claustrophobic premise, and one in which he holds the screen through most of the picture.

It looks like we’ll be getting Buried while Fox decides how they are going to resurrect the Deadpool character, which is totally fine by me. Reynolds is one of those actors who manages to escape from horrible movies with reputation in tact, but it’s probably not a bad idea to let the guy set sail in his own show before shoving him into the constantly mis-handled 20th Century Fox X-Men property.

After Buried, we’ll all be able to make a better judgment about Reynolds talents and – hopefully – Ryan can make the jump to dramatic leading man.

He could also break up with Scarlett Johansson and toss her my way for Christmas, because I’m kissing this movie’s a** after one Variety announcement.

Ryan Reynolds actively working on Deadpool

Liam — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:47:05 +0000

Within days of X-Men Origins: Wolverine being released 20th Century Fox announced that they were developing a Deadpool spin-off, with Ryan Reynolds back playing the Merc with the Mouth. Since then we haven’t heard anything more about it, however Reynolds recently spoke to HitFix and it seems he is pretty involved creatively.

“Well, I’m intimately involved with it. We’re just trying to break a story right now and figure out who the villain is going to be and all that stuff. But, it’s going to be just like the comic books. I’m gonna have a messed up face and you may see some flashbacks of Wade earlier in his life, but primarily what you see is what you get in the comics and that’s the goal. And there is no better place to draw material from then the comics which are incredible.”

I’m assuming this would take place after X-Men Origins: Wolverine, however I think they should just do their own thing and not focus on what happened in Wolverine too much. It’ll be two or three years before we get to see Deadpool on screen, but it will be an interesting movie to follow.

Fox developing Deadpool spin-off!

Liam — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:36 +0000

Both MTV and Variety have confirmed that 20th Century Fox are moving forward with the Deadpool spin-off they’ve been talking about ever since the character was added to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The idea from the very beginning was to introduce the character to audiences and lay foundations for a Deadpool solo film. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was recently deemed a success at the box office, therefore Fox have started to develop the spin-off with Ryan Reynolds returning as the Merc with the mouth.

Twentieth Century Fox has begun development on “Deadpool,” an “X-Men” spinoff that will be crafted as a star vehicle for Ryan Reynolds, who played the character in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
The character is one of the most popular in Marvel Comics’ X-Men universe. Deadpool is Wade Wilson, a mercenary who, dying of cancer, submits himself to the Weapon X genetic alteration experiment and emerges as an indestructible semi-sane anti-hero. Reynolds seemed destined to play the character. In one reference in the Marvel Comics, Deadpool is described as a mix between “a Shar Pei and Ryan Reynolds.”
In one of the “Easter egg” endings of “Wolverine,” Deadpool is seen rising from the rubble and whispering “Shhh” to audiences.
The film will be produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Marvel.

Fox are currently looking for a writers, and I’m sure Reynolds will be happy with this news. Here he is talking about what he’d like to see in the film when it was still up in the air:

X-Men: First Class, Gambit and Deadpool talk

Liam — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:51:40 +0000

Over the past few weeks X-Men Origins: Wolverine producer Lauren Shuler Donner has been giving us small chucks of info about the future of the X-Men franchise, and she recently gave a big chunk of info to IESB during an interview (click here to watch it). She talks about a wide range of X-topics, including the possibility of a Gambit spin-off and getting X-Men and X2 director Bryan Singer back to direct a future film.

X-Men: First Class

According to Shuler Donner writer Josh Schwartz made some changes to the script so it matched with the events in Wolverine. Some reviews I have read say scenes towards the end of Wolverine set up X-Men: First Class nicely. Also, remember the young Storm seen in the first trailer? Well Donner revealed back in February that the scene had been cut, and now we know that it was likely because Storm will be in X-Men: First Class, and they may wish to explore the characters origins in that film, which would have meant the Wolverine cameo would have ruined the continuity.

Donner also told IESB that “you can’t do X-Men: First Class without Patrick [Stewart]“, so it is likely Stewart will return as Professor Xavier.

Gambit

As Gambit was not an original member of Xavier’s school he will not be appearing in X-Men: First Class, although Donner said it was possible that he could appear in the sequels, noting Gambit’s relationship with Storm in the comics as an opportunity to weave him in. (Gambit and Storm teamed up as thieves in New Orleans). Donner also said that there were “internal discussions” about whether Gambit would appear in Wolverine 2, and whether he would get a spin-off of his own. (Although in the past Donner has said characters such as Storm may be getting spin-offs, but that never happened and most likely won’t).

Taylor Kitsch, who plays Gambit in Wolverine, spoke to MTV today about what he’d like to see if the spin-off happens:

“I would love to go darker,” Kitsch told MTV News. “[Gambit] in Vegas was fun, but I want to go into the Thieves Guild part of his story.”
Kitsch’s concept would delve into Remy LeBeau’s shady, streetwise past, part of the hero’s alluring mystique dating back before his time as one of the X-Men in the comics. And that side of Gambit is what interests the “Friday Night Lights” actor the most.
“How cool would it be to see him stealing things to survive because the stakes are so high?” Kitsch proposed. “Of course, as an actor, I’m always going to the darker side, but for him that would just be way more intriguing.”

Deadpool

Gavin Hood revealed before a screening last week that there would be a scene after the credits which would vary with each screening. Some early reports say that one involves Wolverine (setting up the sequel), one involved William Stryker (hopefully not setting up his own spin-off) and the third involves Wade Wilson aka Deadpool. Fox have made it clear they intend to make a Deadpool spin-off, so the scene after the credits may give us a tease for that.

Ryan Reynolds also spoke about what he would like to see if his spin-off got the green light, but this time to IGN

And finally, Lauren Shuler Donner said that she would love director Bryan Singer to return to the X-Men franchise. In the IESB interview she suggests he could perhaps direct the Deadpool or Gambit spin-offs if he was interested. Even after all the recent releases X-Men 2 still stands as one of the best superhero movies, so for Singer to return and work more of that magic would be great (Singer apparently declined an offer to direct X-Men Origins: Wolverine as he was busy with other projects).

I suppose all of this suggests that going to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine would be a good idea if you want to keep up with the X-Men franchise (and help it to continue). If Wolverine does well (which is looking likely) then all of this fantasy talk during interviews may eventually turn into green lights and writers being hired.

Ryan Reynolds talks Deadpool

Liam — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:45:57 +0000

While on the rounds for Adventureland Latino Review got the chance to ask Ryan Reynolds about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Reynolds spoke about the role of Deadpool in the film, about a possible Deadpool spin-off and how ‘chummy’ the atmosphere was on set.

Will we care about your character Deadpool?
Reynolds: You know, I think you will.
Because he’s kind of a good guy, bad guy…
Reynolds: Ya, he walks the line. Ya, I think you will actually care about him. You’ll be curious about him. You’ll be curious beyond the film, you’ll be curious about him. I play Wade Wilson and I play Deadpool, and the character I play as Deadpool, I personally, Fox may differ from me, but I personally don’t consider him as Deadpool, I consider him to be what Deadpool becomes. Or the thing Deadpool came from. It doesn’t carry on past that.
There’s talk, because Deadpool is so popular, that Fox might want to do a spin-off. Would you be interested in that?
Reynolds: Ya, I love the character. I’ve always loved the character. I remember reading one of the Deadpool comic books, and somebody asked Deadpool what he looks like. And he said he looks like a cross between a Shar-Pei and Ryan Reynolds. And I was like, I really, really wanna play this guy at some point. I thought it was pretty cool. It’s a guy that knows he’s in a comic book. How hard is it to shoot that properly? That’s not something they put in Wolverine nor would it belong in that universe.

To read the rest of the interview click here!

Wolverine reshoots = more Deadpool

Liam — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:17:02 +0000

Earlier this week there was a big fuss over X-Men Origins: Wolverine reshoots/additional filming taking place in Vancouver. Most sites reported that they were ‘massive’ and that the film was in trouble. Hugh Jackman responded saying it was due to cast schedules. Now IESB have learned that one of the main reasons for the reshoots is to increase the role of Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds.

Thanks to IESB reader DPfan (I am assuming he didn’t think real hard about that handle – it means Deadpool fan right?) we’ve learned exclusively that more footage of the DEADPOOL character played by Ryan Reynolds has been added to the X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE film!
We are told Ryan Reynolds was busy a guy in Vancouver during the extra time the production spent there shooting some added footage for his Deadpool character! Apparently most of the footage shot included Reynolds and Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman.

Fox want Deadpool to have a big impact as they have plans to make a spin-off with the character. Beefing up the role will no doubt help that cause.