Many people expected 20th Century Fox to take it easy on their X-Men film slate in lieu of the impending acquisition of their parent company by Disney, who also owns Marvel Studios. However, it seems they didn’t get that memo as not only are the previously announced franchise films still moving forward, there are apparently plans for more, with various outlets reporting that it will be “business as usual” for Fox’s film division for the time being.
First things first:
It was announced earlier today that Deadpool director Tim Miller is developing a solo film centered around Kitty Pryde, fan-favorite and long-standing member of the X-Men, Excalibur, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The character—who has the ability to alter her molecular structure allowing her to phase through solid objects, disrupt electromagnetic fields, and levitate—was previously played by Sumela Kay (A History of Violence) in X-Men, Katie Stuart (The 100) in X2: X-Men United and Ellen Page (Flatliners, Inception) in X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Currently, it seems that Miller is involved only in a producer capacity, although that could change should the film be officially greenlit. He’s currently set to direct Terminator 6 with James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to produce and star, respectively.
The Gambit solo film will head to New Orleans to officially begin principal photography on March 19th. Channing Tatum is still attached to star as Remy LeBeau/Gambit while Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex, Cloverfield) has signed on to play his love interest, Bella Donna Boudreaux—replacing Léa Seydoux (Spectre, The Lobster). Gore Verbinski (The Lone Ranger, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) has signed on to direct, himself replacing Rupert Wyatt (The Gambler, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, Jumper) who both dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and repeated delays. The film is being described as a “crime/heist thriller” budgeted at around $155 million.
According to a tweet from Discussing Film, the X-Force team-up film is still a go and will be written/directed by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods). No official casting announcements have been made thus far, but the film will reportedly focus on Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Cable (Josh Brolin) “leading a Black Ops force of down and dirty mutant warriors who are far more ruthless than their X-Men counterparts.”
The recently announced Multiple Man film starring James Franco is also apparently still moving forward, although there’s still no writer or director attached.
Fox seems determined to stay the course until the deal with Disney is done and delivered. With the success of Logan and Deadpool, it’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll be seeing Gambit and X-Force at some point. Faith isn’t as strong regarding the others, despite the studio’s insistence on the contrary.
Source: Geek Tyrant, Screen Rant
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