I remember back when Fox announced that they would be making X-Men: First Class hardly anyone took much interest. I think everyone assumed it would just be a teen focused cash in using the young mutants from the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Some hoped for a full reboot using the original team from the comics but it seemed very unlikely. I think everyone was certain that we would have Cyclops, Emma Frost(maybe another few of the glimpsed mutants in the cages) joining Beast and Jean Grey and that would be that. We would see them come to terms with their emerging powers, learn to work as a team, battle Magneto and it would be all very generic and pretty boring. Then Mathew Vaughn was announced as director.
Vaughn's
Kick-Ass caused quite a stir and was praised by critics and fans alike as something very special. A super hero movie not afraid to take a few risks and there was no doing things the studio way. Vaughn also came with some X baggage. A long time fan of the comics, he had previously been mooted to direct
X-Men 3 but left over "creative differences". He has since been very vocal with his disdain for Brett Ratner's movie. So was this a glimmer of hope? I thought(and still think) so. But since that some pretty strange things have happened and fans just can't get a read of what this film is really going to be about.
First, we had James McAvoy cast as a young Charles Xavier. So it was going to have flash backs right? Then when it was announced that a younger Magneto would join in the form of Michael Fassbender people twigged that the film would also focus on the two as friends, before any talk of a team of X-Men. Basically combining Fox's now cancelled plans for a Magneto origin movie with
Fist Class. Then some more casting crept in. Mystique, Emma Frost(we thought), Beast, Havok, Banshee. Odd choices if they were to make up that first team..what about Cyclops and Jean at least? Sure we all figured those announcements would come. But then Vaughn hinted that this may be a reboot after all when he said he and screenwriter Jane Goldman would be taking a page out of JJ Abrahm's
Star Trek reboot. I for one assumed he meant that he would be keeping things in continuity but using some type of plot device to change some things up a bit, thus getting a semi reboot. Could it even allow for the original team? But then in another interview Vaughn said that everything would be set within the established movie continuity and fit into that universe. Ok.
Brining us up to date and we have had Kevin Bacon cast as an unknown villain, Oliver Platt cast as someone called The Man In Black, and some of the most bizarre choices of characters imaginable. Azazel? Darwin? We have younger again versions of Mystique and Magneto, cast switches(Alice Eve out January Jones in as Emma Frost), a character called Angel that might be a Tempest or a Storm and with only a few weeks until the scheduled shoot date, still no word on who one would assume would be the main team members, Cyclops and Jean.
But, even with all this, I'm not worried and heres why. First off, I don't really care that we won't(or most likely won't) be getting the original team. If it follows the established movie continuity but manages to be a great movie I'll be fine with that. Second, even with all these questions its looking that way to me. I have faith in Vaughn as director, Goldman as writer and they have assembled a great cast. A mix of established character actors and young up and comers that have drawn big praise already. Sure I have no idea what the film will be about (aside from theories) but it has me intrigued. I'm exited to see how all of these pieces will fit together. In fact, I have gone from not giving a toss about this movie to anticipating it as much as
Thor or
Green Lantern! Is that misplaced? Maybe..but maybe not. Like I said, I have faith, lets just see how this one plays out, and at least wait for a trailer before we start slinging the fan rocks.
As it stands the main cast shapes up like this. Zoe Kravitz as Angel and Januray Jones as Emma Frost join Michael Fassbender (Magneto), James McAvoy (Xavier), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee), Lucas Till (Havoc), Edi Gathegi (Darwin), Rose Byrne (MacTaggert..rumored), Kevin Bacon as the villain, and Oliver Platt as the mysterious "The Man in Black." Vaughn is due to begin shooting in a few weeks in London aiming for a release early next Summer.