X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters in less than two weeks, so naturally the internet is buzzing with rumors of what comes next. Why should we care about this movie that’s about to come out, when X-Men: Apocalypse comes out in two years? And Wolverine 3 shows up a year after that? I mean, who cares if this movie is supposed be the highest-grossing X-Men movie yet? You made the severe mistake of whetting our appetite for the next course of the meal. Of course, we’ll still gobble up what we’ve got, but only because our parents won’t let us have dessert unless we finish our dinner. Stupid parents.
That brings us to the guy who has appeared in every X-Men film so far; Kelsey Grammer Hugh Jackman. He’s already told us that he won’t be playing Wolverine forever, and now he’s saying that he’s very likely done with the character after Wolverine 3 wraps up. The studio wants to use him as much as possible before he goes, so tentative plans are being made to film X-Men: Apocalypse and Wolverine 3 back-to-back. The reason would be to reduce the strain of getting in shape for the role. Jackman told Collider:
[I]n a weird way that has crossed my mind if that’s the way things play out, because physically, even though I was complaining about it because I found out about [X-Men: Days of Future Past] a month before I finished The Wolverine, so I was already planning on my cheat meals. It’s much easier because it’s tough to get there, physically, but once you’re there, it’s easier to maintain it.
Producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Hutch Parker said the same when Collider asked them about filming back-to-back:
Donner: We’re trying
Parker: We are.
Donner: We’re absolutely trying, yes. […] we announced Apocalypse to come out in 2016, so that means we have to shoot next summer. And then we’d have to shoot our new Wolverine movie either before or after that. I think after because it will come out after.
I’m kind of sad to see Jackman go, because the media figured out how avoid the runaround they’d get by asking him if he’s in the next X-film. They just assumed he’d be there and asked him about the scheduling. Brilliant. Hopefully, Fox will do the classy thing and thank him for all the money he’s made them, and give him some adamantium taps to put on his dance shoes. They’ll come in handy when some jerk answers his phone in a Broadway theater, and Jackman has to kick him in the shins.
So what about that about X-Men: Apocaylpse? We know that Apocalypse will be the main villain, and that it takes place in the ’80s. That puts it around the time that the characters from the original X-Men would be developing their mutant powers. Bryan Singer talked about that possibility in an interview with Sci-Fi Now magazine:
“My next goal is how did the X-Men come together? That story hasn’t been told yet, so [Days Of Future Past] is the inbetweequel,” laughs Singer.
“It’s in between the birth of that relationship with Charles and Erik and the formation of the X-Men.”
Interviewer: Of course, this means X-Men: Apocalypse is in the right time zone to revisit and recast iconic original characters Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm.
Singer: “Yeah, […] exactly.”
So for those of you keeping score, it looks like we get X-Babies in 2016, and a nearly 50 year-old actor playing Wolverine in 2017. If that doesn’t excite you enough, I’m sure they’ll start teasing the films that come after those in six months or so.
Via /Flim and Bleeding Cool