Before serialized storytelling and cinematic universes became commonplace, the X-Men franchise proved how profitable the genre could be. That franchise is still going strong today, with the main narrative picking up with Dark Phoenix. Despite it's merger with Disney looming above, 20th Century Fox has begun expanding the X-Men franchise through spinoff movies like the massively successful Deadpool franchise and Josh Boone's upcoming The New Mutants. But what happened to the Kitty Pryde movie?
Deadpool director Tim Miller didn't return for the sequel, but he reportedly pivoted to begin developing a spinoff movie for Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat. No news has come from that developing project, although comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis recently revealed he's actively working on the spinoff. When asked on Twitter, Bendis responded, saying:
Well, this is exciting. While the upcoming merger has the potential to put 20th Century Fox's big superhero projects in jeopardy, it looks like the Kitty Pryde movie is being worked on regardless.
Brian Michael Bendis' tweet will no doubt excite the generations of X-Men fans out there, who are hoping that Kitty Pryde will get more time to shine on the silver screen. While Shadowcat has popped up in quite a few X-Men movies by this point, she's often put on the sideline of the action. Ellen Page helped bring her to life in The Last Stand and Days of Future Past, her own movie would give the fan favorite comic book character a meatier role in the franchise.
The current state of development for the Kitty Pryde movie might work out well for the possible movie, given the state of Fox and Disney's upcoming merger. Considering Tim Miller's blockbuster is still being written, this could give time for the two massive companies to work out the specifics of the deal before production picks up on the spinoff.
If the developing Kitty Pryde movie is green lit after the merger is completed, then it has the potential to connect to the greater MCU. Marvel fans have been eager to see the X-Men included in the massive shared universe, although the rights to the character were split among Disney and Fox. Now the other question is, who could star in the project?
Obviously the most obvious choice would be Ellen Page, who already played Kitty twice in live-action. Page has already expressed her interest in returning to her mutant role, although she hadn't been approached by anyone. Because if Tim Miller is developing an origin story for Kitty, then they might want to recast, and have a younger actress play the character before/during her schooling at Xavier's. It's all a mystery, although the hardcore fans would no doubt like to see Page get a meatier role in a third X-Men movie.
While Shadowcat seems like a somewhat unlikely X-Man to have her own spinoff movie, Tim Miller has already proven he's got the vision to bring a lesser known chacter to the forefront with Deadpool. And Kitty's set of mutant abilities are unique and less action-heavy, giving Miller and Brian Michael Bendis the chance to bring a new type of superhero movie to theaters.
Kitty Pryde/ Shadowcat is a fan favorite X-Man from the comics, and one who has gone through a ton of transformations since she arrived on the page in 1980. Kitty is typically the youngest member of the X-Men, and brings a naivety and youth to the group. That was certainly the case in the X-Men movies, although she was decidedly more adult in the apocalyptic future of Days of Future Past.
Shadowcat has the power to dematerialize her body and “phase” through objects and people. This gives her stealth skills, and she’s also able to break machinery by phasing through them. It’s a less flashy ability than Wolverine’s claws and Storm’s weather manipulation, and could lend itself to a much different type of X-Men flick.
Despite being in the comic book movie business for over 19 years, the X-Men franchise has recently shown a penchant for pushing the boundaries of the genre. Deadpool proved that R-rated comic book movies could still make a ton of money at the box office, with audiences really responding to Wade Wilson’s fourth-wall breaking shenanigans.
James Mangold slowed things down with Logan, aging its title character and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in a dusty future void of mutants. That movie’s R rating allowed the director to bring more visceral violence to the project, with the movie even getting some awards attention in the process.
Despite Ellen Page not popping up as Kitty until X-Men: The Last Stand, the character was actually present in Bryan Singer’s first two blockbusters, each played by a different actress. Glorified cameos, we saw Kitty walk through a door in the first X-Men, and followed her through the chaos of the Mansion’s invasion in X-Men 2.
Shadowcat had a proper role in The Last Stand, showing up as a junior member of the titular team of mutants. She also helped put a wedge between Iceman and Rogue, as she had the ability to actually touch her classmate.
Kitty popped up again in the large ensemble project Days of Future Past, and was given a new ability in the process. She could send the consciousness of her allies back in time, which becomes the main macguffin used to send Logan to the prequel timeline.
While it was cool to see Shadowcat get a new superpower, Kitty didn’t exactly get to grow as a character or get much to do other than keep her hands at Logan’s temples. As such, a solo movie would be very much appreciated-- hopefully with Ellen Page back in the role. The actress seems game to return, and having an Oscar winner leading the spinoff would no doubt give it an extra boost of excitement from the rabid fans.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated on the Kitty Pryde movie and all things X-Men, so be sure to check back with us for updates. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
