ROTTEN TOMATOES: "X-Men 4" Still Definitely Not Happening, Maybe

"X-Men 4" Still Definitely Not Happening, Maybe

by Scott Weinberg | August 15, 2006

Remember all that talk about "Nope, no fourth X-Men movie, seriously"? Well, it's only been about a month, which means that the new sequel chit-chat from the X-producers is now arriving exactly on schedule.

From IGN FilmForce: "X-Men" producer Lauren Shuler Donner says contract renegotiations are the biggest stumbling blocks in order for "X-Men 4" to become a reality. "The newer cast members are signed, and the older cast members are not," Shuler Donner advised L.A. Daily News columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith.

"Next, we're going to do "Wolverine," but not before the end of the year because he's in the Baz Luhrmann film," Shuler Donner confirmed. "We have the [Wolverine] script and are working on it. ... We also have "Young Magneto" in development." Sheldon Turner is writing the "Magneto" screenplay, while David Benioff is penning "Wolverine." No directors are attached to either project yet."

Click here for the full piece.

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(1-14 of 14 posts) | Reply

gemini0577 writes:
on Aug 15 2006 02:41 AM

I'm quite skeptical about both of these spin-off projects. I don't think Wolverine will be able to carry a whole movie without some other X-Men to tether his character to likeability... and a young Magneto... well, to be honest... I can't see anyone other McKellen pulling that off... and he isn't young enough I'm sure. These films have higher potential to be miss and the foolish movie execs would do much better to continue making X-Men films. They don't need all the old characters afterall, X-Men is known as a revolving door of mutants...

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Aug 15 2006 05:55 AM

If I was one of the old cast members I would ask for 20 million plus a percentage of the gross.

(Reply to this)

frogleg writes:
on Aug 15 2006 06:17 AM

I disagree with the first post - I think Wolverine could easily carry a movie solo. Going back 10 or 15 years, when I was really into the comic books, he had tons of solo mini-series (as well as a full on solo series), and they were always interesting. He's a really deep, multilayered character, but most of that "fleshing out" was done in his solo books.
I'm a little more skeptical of the young Magneto, but that's not to say it can't be done. I don't envy the young actor that will inevitably be compared to McKellan, though.

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on Aug 15 2006 07:27 AM

i agree that Wolvie can certainly carry his own movie. sure, there were other X-Men involved, but the X-Men films were pretty much Wolverine movies with the X-Men in them. doing a Wolvie movie is a good idea, since they can explore more of his backstory and ties to characters like Sabertooth, and if they do and X4, they'll be able to move on without Wolverine and focus on some of the other characters that were established in the previous films like Iceman and Colossus that ended up playing second fiddle to ol' Canucklehead.

this is one of the reasons why i hated the fact that they killed off Cyclops, he was supposed to be the leader of the X-Men but because they focused on Wolverine, his part was minimalized to the point he became useless. instead of killing him off, they could have kept him around until after X3 so when Wolvie leaves for his own movies, he could take his place at the forefront of the team again. but who knows, they could still bring him back. his "death" was off-screen, so right there is an excuse for him to have survived.

(Reply to this)

Bear45 writes:
on Aug 15 2006 08:31 AM

Is anybody even interested in seeing a film about a young Magneto?

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IMAmoose24 writes:
on Aug 15 2006 09:51 AM

I am. I think thats a way better Idea than a wolverine movie. I always like to see how characters started off. One of the coolest apspects of The Godfather Part II was how they showed where The Don came from and how he got to where he was in Part I. It was a bold move, but it was pulled off great as a half sequel, half prequel.

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Master King Sexington writes:
on Aug 15 2006 10:54 AM

I think they should have butchered Cyclops and Bryan Singer like a scene in Hostel. I mean, how could they just abandon X-men in their supposed last installment? At least I have the hope that the Wolverine movie will provide some solice.

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sostra writes:
on Aug 15 2006 11:53 AM

[b]THEY NEED..NO THEY MUST MAKE X4[/b]
THERE IS NO QUESTION IN MY MIND, OR FANS OF THE MOVIES AND COMICS THAT THEY MUST MAKE ANOTHER X-FILM. OBVIOULSY WITH ALL THE TALK THAT IS STILL GOING ON ABOUT THIS MOVIE SERIES, PEOPLE ARE SERIOUSE ABOUT SEEING ANOTHER ONE. PLEASE PLEASE WE NEED A SEQUEL THAT WILL DO THE X TEAM JUSTICE!!! NOT LIKE THE CRAPPY THIRD ONE!!!

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Simple Minded writes:
on Aug 15 2006 12:34 PM

[b]End the misery[/b]
Wolverine sounds dandy. But no X-Men 4, please. Don't do this to me, Fox.

(Reply to this)

ConnorConnor writes:
on Aug 15 2006 02:10 PM

I think a fourth will be made, theres just too much money that coudl still be made on the franchise, and a lot of people ( including myself) were so dissapointed by the 3rd that we feel liek we deserve a better ending. Jackman may not be involved in the project ,and if he isn't that does hurt the movie significantly considering he is the most recognizable character, but what I believe the smartest move could be ,if they decide to make another sequel, is to bring in Gambit. I know lots of people have suggested it already, but I just think if they find the right person to play him it could spark new life into the series. Just a thought.

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on Aug 15 2006 02:36 PM

In reply to this comment (#842210)
yeah, people have wanted Gambit involved probably since the first film, but including him now risks people labeling him a "Wolverine ripoff" because Gambit is such a rogue (no pun intended) character not unlike how Wolverine was for much of the series so far. it could work, but they run that risk. hell, now you can definitely see why Rogue would be attracted to Gambit, since she had a bit of a thing for Wolverine early on. i guess the bad boy thing gets her wet.

(Reply to this)

I Am Remote writes:
on Aug 15 2006 08:22 PM

Cyclops, Jean and Prof. X "dead". Magneto sidelined. Wolverine cannot carry another one of these movies, I'm sorry. I think it's a smart move to let him have his own film, but now rather pointless, considering the first two films were heavily wolverine focused. What's the point now? Sabertooth and Lady Deathstrike (two major major logan characters) were either underbaked or so drastically altered to the source versions that "fitting" them into a Wolverine would backtrack upon these x-men movies. The Wolverine writer has already gone on record saying that writing has been a problem because of this. So what's even left for this movie? I heard Silver Samurai. He'd be a nice side villian, but c'mon.

Surprise, surprise, but no one involved anymore is interested in adapting/telling the great stories that made these characters and books so amazing. Or maybe, from the poor adaptation evident even in the first, no one was to begin with. They're just trying to salvage what they haven't screwed up to make more money. I hope they do it, though. It'll get so overblown and ridiculous that audiences and studios will abandon it.

Then I can hope for a "batman begins" style reboot...

(Reply to this)

Circe Prankster writes:
on Aug 16 2006 11:46 AM

Magneto is my favorite character in the X-Men movies. I hated what they did with him in X3, making him shallow and foolish and ultimately undermining his power entirely. I think the possibilities for a Magneto backstory are excellent. Remember this would take place in an earlier time period, when no one really knew that mutants existed yet - so they could explore the whole social/political process whereby mutants first became recognized, the reaction of the general public, etc. Also, as technology really started to flourish, we could see the increasing power of someone who could control metals (as more and more products and weapons were made of metal). The rise of technology could sort of mirror Magneto's rise. And they could intertwine the prejudicial way mutants were treated with the issues of the civil rights era, which would shape Magneto's philosophy . . . I think there are a lot of interesting possibilities.

(Reply to this)

uberflamme writes:
on Sep 02 2007 08:32 PM

I think they planned to make a fourth movie. Cyclops's death offscreen, Pheonix impersonating Jean dies while Jean is in a frozen telekinetic state and Professor X is brought back at the end. They must have decided with the reviews that it is not worth making a fourth.

(Reply to this)

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