X4 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We're not going to spend a lot of time rehashing the basic points of this argument, because we've been over it many times before. Essentially, it boils down to one simple argument: Marvel makes a lot of money on their big title movies, and wants to continue doing so, while actors and studios eventually tire of the increasing commitments. While everyone from Hugh Jackman and Sam Raimi to the parking attendant guy at the Fox Studios lot may think they know for certain the future of their franchises, we all know the truth is very basic: if they feel the monetary benefits are great enough, they will roll out more movies. If they don't, then the movies are done.

So what do Marvel, Fox Studios, and Sony Pictures think about the monetary prospects of more films? Well, according to X-Men Film News, the opinion is different depending on who you ask. Marvel, of course, is hot to sell as much superhero as they possibly can. Times are very good for the company, and their properties are as hot as ever. Nobody knows when the hero movie trend will die down again, and Marvel needs to strike while the iron is hot. Sony, it seems, is in complete agreement, and thoroughly expects to make bazillions of dollars on the third installment of the successful Spider-Man film franchise. This naturally leaves them very open to the possibility of more movies, because hey ... who doesn't like making a bazillion dollars? Fox, on the other hand, wasn't so confident in their third installment, hence the "this is the last film ever" talk from the studio. But then the movie raked in some serious cash, and suddenly Fox might want to reconsider.

Even should Fox decide they are done with Professor X and his gifted youngsters, this won't necessarily mean the end of the X-Men on film. A Marvel insider reminds X-Men Film News that Marvel is aggressively pursuing their own business interests these days, and certainly has plans in place for the team if Fox bails. Tipster says to expect a "pleasant surprise," but what else would an employee say?

So tell me, movie-going public, are you aching for more of Marvel's biggest titles, or starting to tire of all the spandex and special effects? As yet, Marvel's main lines show no signs of slowing, as X-Men 3 did very well and Spider-Man 3 expects to fare even better. For those of us who have spent our entire lives reading comic books, this has been a truly enjoyable time -- and it seems as if the rest of you have been quite happy with it all as well. However, with the completion of X-Men: The Last Stand, we've been told the franchise is a wrap, and rumors have been suggesting the end of Spider-Man after part three since well before part two even hit theaters.

So what is the truth of the matter, then? Unsurprisingly, nobody really knows yet. However, one of the foremost sources of knowledge on the subject would likely be David Maisel, vice-president of Marvel Entertainment. On the subject, Maisel said: "obviously those films have done tremendously well and made significant amounts of profits for our partners, Sony and Fox, so I would be under the assumption that they would very much want to continue those properties in an aggressive manner." Given what's been said of various actors' contracts and desires to move on with their careers, it is distinctly possible this could mean the ever-dangerous recasting. Could Marvel films survive the replacement of key actors?

Wow, the news just doesn't stop pouring in when it comes to the X-Men film franchise. Maybe that whole big national blockbuster thing they've got going on right now is behind it, eh? Anyway, it seems like we'll never put the rumors of a fourth X-Men film to rest -- or at least not anytime soon. It was beginning to look like everyone who had an official say was declaring the rumors to be absolutely, unequivocally false, but now the one man at the top of it all has thrown everything into doubt yet again. Avi Arad has been the man when it comes to Marvel on film, and although he just stepped down to start his own production company, he is still heavily involved with everything Marvel. If nothing else, his company figures to handle most of the upcoming Marvel flicks, and he's personally arranged all of the deals happening currently.

When asked about a sequel possibility Arad said the following:  "There's always a chance of an X-Men sequel. It's more of an issue of what is the next X-Men story, and when to do it ... there are so many more characters that we didn't deal with yet. I would not preclude anything."* If that's not blunt and to the point I don't know what is. Arad has basically admitted up-front the possibility for further X-Men movies is indeed wide open. I, for one, am happy to hear this said, although I don't know if I actually expect further X-Men titles; the whole spin-off thing seems far more likely. These guys really ought to get together on their stories, though ... the conflicting statements are really starting to make them all look a bit silly.

*Special Bonus Note: This seems to run directly contrary to what Arad said mere days ago. Read about it here.

A short while ago actor Ian McKellen indicated he would very much like to reprise his role as super-villain Magneto in the planned prequel for Marvel films. He referenced the studio's ability to retro-age his appearance as seen in the Jean Grey recruitment scene from X-Men: The Last Stand. While the concept met with general nods of approval from fans (Ian McKellen is rather awesome, after all) there was general consensus that it'd probably be a silly decision to make, and most everyone expected a younger actor to be cast.

The studio may have pulled a "not so fast" moment on all of us, however, according to visual effects supervisor John Bruno. A tipster who claims to have chatted with Bruno recently told Superhero Hype that Bruno confirmed Ian McKellen as the Magneto in the prequel, utilizing the same cinematic magic (and the same company) which de-aged the actor for X3. McKellen is reportedly "very happy" with this development. He has certainly created the film version of the character with his powerful performances, and it is difficult to imagine anyone else performing up to his level; but at the same time it is difficult to imagine Ian McKellen playing a significantly younger version of himself. I guess we'll wait and see for now.

I promise we'll get off this whole "will there be another sequel in the X-Men franchise" issue soon, but important people keep commenting and inquiring minds want to know. After all, X-Men: The Last Stand has blown the doors of the box office, and everyone knows this means sequel in Hollywood, land where the Buck is King. Another nail has been driven into the sequel coffin today, however, as Fox seems adamant in their "this is only a trilogy" stance. This time, we get word straight from the mouth of producer Ralph Winter, who is of course exceedingly happy with his film's opening performance. Winter gets right to the heart of the issue, bypassing all that "the story is complete with this film" nonsense to admit the real problem with sequel potential: "This is the last movie of this type. There might be spin-offs, but it would be hard to gather this cast or a bigger one for another movie of this size."

Therein lies the problems, my friends. Even if Fox wanted to put together another sequel, the cast of stars is no doubt getting more and more pricey to re-unite with every new success. Yes, the films are blockbusters and earning money like nobody's business, but there is always a line where cost outweighs benefits -- and the X-Men cast may be rapidly approaching the line.

Despite a worldwide opening of almost $200 million and a domestic take of at least $120 million for X-Men: The Last Stand, Marvel spokesman Avi Arad insists they will stick to the announced plans and end the franchise with the third film. Arad says Marvel and their studio friends plan to focus on the already planned spin-off films Wolverine and Magneto, and have no plans for an X4: "The first reaction, which we should discard, is here comes 'X-Men 4. We're working on Wolverine, which is definitely a continuation, and we have a very interesting script about a young Magneto."

There you have it folks, straight from the horse's mouth. Do you believe him? The box office take for X3 thus far certainly makes it seem like the studio would not want to let the title franchise die -- it's been a real money winner for them thus far. But we've heard nothing recently from anyone in power suggesting they are even thinking of a sequel, so perhaps they are really going to stick to their guns and go with the spin-offs only. Stay tuned to Cinematical, we'll be on the beat for you and we'll let you know when something new develops.

America has had a weekend to digest the new X-Men film, and early indications are positive. The numbers are big and the reviewers are happy. Once again America has reminded the industry why they've been pouring all this money and effort into superhero films.

Lest we forget in the midst of the Age of the Silver Screen Hero, much of the credit and thanks goes to those fans who have frequented the comic book shops these past decades, keeping our heroes in business long before Hollywood made them blockbusters. If it weren't for the True Believers, Marvel would have closed shop years ago (they flirted with monetary disaster on more than one occasion) and who knows where Professor X and his students would be now. So what do the dedicated have to say about the latest installment of Marvel on screen? They were worried in the run-up; afraid of what director Brett Ratner might do. I've been in touch this weekend with some serious geeks, folks who know Professor X better than Patrick Stewart, and they've got some great opinions on this stuff -- so I'm going to let them do the talking. The Geek Beat is proud to present our very first Geeks' Referendum!

At this point, I think it can be safely declared that no one, save Brett Ratner and the Suits, are even trying to pretend X:3 The Last Stand is the actual close of the film franchise. Patrick Stewart more or less called Ratner out as a liar trying to get more bodies into theaters; Ian McKellen suggested a few days ago the franchise could continue onward; and of course there's the ever popular "several of the contracts call for at least two more movies" deal. Now joining the ever growing chorus of sequel-expectant actors is Halle Berry, the lady who plays Storm.

In an interview with blackfilm.com, Berry was asked about possible spin-off films (a popular question for X-actors these days), and indicated she knew of no plans for Storm in the spin-offs, but later suggested there may well be a fourth X-Men movie in the future:"If this is the end, which in my mind it probably is, I'm just really happy with the way it ended; and if [it] does well, Fox will do another one. It would be advantageous for them to do another one. I think they will if the fans love this one enough and enough people go see it and they all want it, I'm sure there will be another one."

A bit confusing, since she says in her mind it is probably "the end," but then twice goes on to say she fully expects a sequel if the film does well. Maybe she expects X3 to crash and burn?

Hugh Jackman is certainly the face of the current X-Men movie franchise -- I don't think there's any real question about it. Patrick Stewart may be his closest challenger, but hey, whose claws have been on all the movie posters for the past six months? Not only is the Wolverine character among the most popular in the Marvelverse (sometimes it seems like he's in every title at once), Hugh Jackman is a fan favorite. Mr. Jackman's importance to Marvel on film may be larger than any of us suspected, however, as recent comments by Jackman himself makes is seem as though he has almost complete control over choosing the director for his upcoming spin-off film Wolverine.

Jackman is quoted over at Filmstalker as saying the script is currently in its third (and hopefully final) draft rewrite, and once that's finished they'll go director hunting. According to Jackman, Brett Ratner's name is certainly in the mix, but several other high-powered directors are also interested, and he wants to make sure he gives it to someone who can do something new and exciting with it and not treat it simply as X-Men 4 in disguise. Jackman said "I'm not going to make a decision until I have the script right, but I'll definitely look at Brett." Definitely sounds as though Hugh's got himself a pretty sweet gig -- you know you're doing well for yourself when you get to name your own director.

That wacky Patrick Stewart is at it again, calling out Fox and director Brett Ratner. Some time ago Stewart said the studio's insistence of X-Men 3 being the final chapter in the movie franchise was probably nothing more than a ploy to get more bodies in the theater seats. At the time, this ran contrary to everything we'd heard about sequel potential, but since then a few other voices have indicated Stewart might be on the right track. And today Stewart came out swinging at the no sequel rumors yet again, telling Empire Online "When it comes to it you can never say it's the last because a lot of it is about economic drive. The first two films were among the most successful films ever, if the third would continues that theme, I would imagine there's a strong possibility that within a short while a fourth one might be in the planning." Stewart also indicated he'd absolutely love to return to the franchise, saying "This is a smashing world to inhabit every few years. I like my character very much, he's an admirable character."

I know a lot of you out there are expecting Ratner to fail, and fail miserably (and I might count myself among your number).  Some of you are even secretly hoping the film is awful just so you can scream about how Ratner destroyed it (yeah I might be there too). However, ultimately the desire for more films wins out in my heart, and I hope Ratner manages to not sink the ship ... just in case he manages to pass it off to a new captain when he's done.