This week, Bryan Singer sat down with the L.A. Times and discussed some upcoming ideas and movement within the X-Men film universe. Singer is coming back on board with the franchise to direct X-Men: First Class, a prequel to the first X-Men movie released in 2000. The movie will focus on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto. The newest X-Men installment looks to dive into how these two united, formed the school for mutants, and what exactly lead to their eventual split. Additionally, the feature will use younger versions of the original X-Men to detail how it is they came to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (read: badass mutants).
Having Singer back in the X-Men mix has this fan more than a little excited. X2 remains one of my all-time favorite comic book movies and really showed how an adaptation could handle the depth and humanity of characters whose genetic makeup allows them to perform the extraordinary. And while X-Men pales somewhat in comparison, I found it fascinating to read how exactly that movie turned the world of comic book flicks up on its head. Singer will bring a singular focus back to a franchise needing more than a little tweaking. X-Men: Evolution and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were decidedly inferior products after the first two movies, and proved a cast of characters like these super freaks need a deft touch. There are some timing issues with Singer’s quasi-reboot, but this is a franchise that needs a comeback. Singer is just the man to do it.
