Release Date: TBA
Cast: Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romjin-Stamos as Mystique, Daniel Cudmore as Colossus, Famke Jannsen as Jean Grey, Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike, James Marsden as Cyclops
Director: Bryan Singer, likely
Official Site: TBA
Trailers: None
Status: Rumored
Synopsis: Third installment of the X-Men films. No story has been confirmed.
News and Rumors:
June 18, 2003: From CountingDown.com: Expect X-Men 3 to get underway as early as January at Vancouver Film Studios, giving the local feature film folk some steady work. The production intends to take advantage of the "I, Robot" crews being available around that time. "Catwoman", which starts in September, may also logically fit into that mix.
Given the huge sets and the amount of construction involved, X3 crews will be hard at work long before the cameras start rolling. And Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine, will be tied up doing "The Boy From Oz" on Broadway, which may take him well into 2004.
The cast is expected to return almost in its entirety, albeit with concessions made for Halle Berry -- her time commitment will be minimal. There is some speculation that Bryan Singer, who directed the first two movies of the series, might not be back. In spite of the awesome results of his X2 work, the cast was not happy with certain aspects of the production -- not to mention their total lack of sympathy over Singer's reported prescription drug snafu, reportedly an accidental ingestion that briefly knocked him out of commission.
June 16, 2003: X2 executive Producer Tom DeSanto recently spoke with Cinescape about what other mutants we might see if a third film goes ahead: "Angel - The funny thing about Angel is that he was in several versions of the original X-Men script until very, very late in the game...He was also in quite a few drafts of X-Men 2 and it was ultimately decided that, again, story time was better spent developing other characters like Nightcrawler. So hopefully we'll see him in X-Men 3, but it ultimately comes down to serving the story.
Beast - Beast is probably the number one contender who's made it the farthest along in X-Men and X-Men 2. Sentinels - For a while, the Sentinels were in some of the thought processes behind the second movie, but again, it's trying to keep it real and do it right. If they're done, I think they should be in all their 30-foot-tall glory and not walking around human size".
June 12, 2003: Reports indicate that James Marsden has signed on for a third film, but both Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are waiting to see of the story is good. The report also reported that producer Ralph Winter said, "I think if we can figure out the story quickly, we could be out in a two year period."
May 22, 2003: Entertainment Weekly got the latest scoop on what we may be able to expect in the upcoming third X-Installment. Among other hints dropped by various cast members, writer David Hayter notes that while Wolverine's storyline is the fun one, "the heart of the X-Men really revolves around what's happening to Jean and if we see her in the future." Ok, so Hayter says to expect Jean's return as Phoenix. What about director Bryan Singer? He's vague about possible new X-Men (EW doesn't supply any direct quotes), but apparently the current candidates are the blue simian Beast, the winged Angel, and fan-favorite cajun card-thrower Gambit, 'who might present Iceman with some competition for the affections of Rogue, hints Singer'. Sounds good - who else wants this movie tomorrow?
May 22, 2003: X2 Producer Lauren Shuler Donner recently spoke to Empire Magazine about where the X-Men series could go, and it sounds like she's not as attached to the Phoenix storyline saga that is hinted at the end of X2 as the film would suggest. "We don't have to do the trilogy right away. I think you just go do a while different thing, like Days Of Future Past." For those of you who don't know, Days Of Future Past is a famous X-Men storyline set in a dark future where the government has released dangerous mutant-hunting robots called 'The Sentinels' that have tracked and killed most of the X-Men, leaving only a ragged Wolverine and a few remaining X-Men. Since the films haven't even introduced the Sentinels yet in the present, this seems a bit unlikely. But hey - she's the Producer, so I guess it's at least a possibility.
May 12, 2003: Kelly Hu on X3: "My contract was for two films, but we'll have to wait and see what happens when people actually sit down to write the next one," says Hu, who starred in the TV series Nash Bridges and Martial Law and opposite The Rock in The Scorpion King. But waitaminute, didn't she... you know?
May 8, 2003: Shawn Ashmore is also expected to be back for X3. No official signing has been made, but Ashmore is keen on returning as Bobby Drake aka Iceman. Thanks to the various emails sent in. So what about Hugh, Patrick, Ian, Halle, James... no word of them as of yet, although there has been reports that Halle Berry does not wish to return... hmmm, will she be missed?
May 8, 2003: What was left out of X2 and could possibly be in X3...?:
The Danger Room and the Danger room control room (where someone can monitor & supervise the training sessions)
Beast and Beast's laboratory
Angel and Archangel
The interior of Alkali Lake's abandoned base, which included some very intricate prison cells and a giant cylindrical room where a big fight sequence was going to happen between Toad and Nightcrawler, a breathtaking mid-air battle.
A land vehicle that was going to come out of the cargo area of the X-Jet. A secret level in the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
May 5, 2003: Famke Janssen talked with The Toronto Sun and revealed a solid commitment to return in some capacity in a third "X-Men" flick - "I have a firm commitment to the X-Men movies. They are my priority. I've signed for a third. If, and when, it happens I'll arrange my schedule around it...I have no idea where the writers will go with Jean's story, but there are some great possibilities and ones I'd really like to explore".
May 2, 2003: E! Online reports the following rumor from Anderson Jones:
"I can tell you that a very good source says a sequel is a "100 percent" certainty. Already Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, [Alan] Cumming and ex-footballer Daniel Cudmore (Colossus) are signed up for the next adventure. But director Bryan Singer, who's headed to Mexico for more X2 promotion, tells me he has at least one condition for returning to the director's chair: "I have to do something in between.""
May 1, 2003: Alan Cumming confirmed to the Calgary Sun that he and Rebecca Romjin-Stamos have both signed on for a third X-Men! Thanks to DH
April 25, 2003: From Sci-Wire and thanks to CountingDown.com: "Bryan Singer, director of the upcoming X-Men sequel film, X2, told SCI FI Wire that a lot of comic mythology didn't make it into the second movie, but could end up in a third. "Possibly," he said in an interview. "You choose your battles. You figure out what serves the story and what is ultimately tangential." Singer added, "[In] each X-Men film, we lost a character. I had to battle Beast out of the first film. I think Angel was a character that found its way into almost towards the final drafts of this script. I had a wonderful scene with Angel that I was very fond of, and had to get rid of, because you don't want to have characters and plot lines for the sake of having characters and plot lines.""
March 18, 2003: Bryan Singer sat down with CFQ Magazine and had this to say about Beast:
"I love Beast as a character, and I'd like to have him in the next movie. He will have to be done with CG, because makeup would just take too much time. I'd also love to do something with the Danger Room, but that didn't work out."
March 6, 2003: Kelly Hu in a recent interview with E! Online, hints at a possible return of her Lady Deathdtrike character: "I certainly hope so. I've already signed a contract. Whether or not they have me come back is another story, but I'd love to"
February 17, 2003: From an interview with actor Daniel Cudmore, who will be playing Colossus in X2, and possibly X3:
Cudmore said his role in the sequel sets the stage for what he hopes will be an even bigger role in the third film. "I'm currently in negotiations," he said. "Sometimes it can be really daunting. You see all these accredited actors on television and I have to ask myself how I got into this and basically it's luck and lots of hard work. I know that this is a chance of a lifetime, but I'm also taking it in stride. I got so lucky so fast that I'm not stressing out over things. I'm happy and learning this business."
December 10, 2002: Although, he is not in X-Men 2, there are rumors floating around stating that Tyler Mane, the man who played Sabretooth in the first film, is signed on for two more sequels.
November 19, 2002: Sci-Fi Wire spoke with Halle Berry who indicated she has not signed on to play 'Storm' in a third film though if she did she would want a bigger role as her screen time is about equal (if not less) than in the first one, and this entry involves "All the [characters] from the past, plus five new ones. So I think it's very much an ensemble. You don't really get into the mind of Storm in this movie. You don't really get to know where she comes from, what makes her tick. I don't think that's what this one is about...I do think they should use their powers a bit more"
Cast: Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romjin-Stamos as Mystique, Daniel Cudmore as Colossus, Famke Jannsen as Jean Grey, Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike, James Marsden as Cyclops
Director: Bryan Singer, likely
Official Site: TBA
Trailers: None
Status: Rumored
Synopsis: Third installment of the X-Men films. No story has been confirmed.
News and Rumors:
June 18, 2003: From CountingDown.com: Expect X-Men 3 to get underway as early as January at Vancouver Film Studios, giving the local feature film folk some steady work. The production intends to take advantage of the "I, Robot" crews being available around that time. "Catwoman", which starts in September, may also logically fit into that mix.
Given the huge sets and the amount of construction involved, X3 crews will be hard at work long before the cameras start rolling. And Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine, will be tied up doing "The Boy From Oz" on Broadway, which may take him well into 2004.
The cast is expected to return almost in its entirety, albeit with concessions made for Halle Berry -- her time commitment will be minimal. There is some speculation that Bryan Singer, who directed the first two movies of the series, might not be back. In spite of the awesome results of his X2 work, the cast was not happy with certain aspects of the production -- not to mention their total lack of sympathy over Singer's reported prescription drug snafu, reportedly an accidental ingestion that briefly knocked him out of commission.
June 16, 2003: X2 executive Producer Tom DeSanto recently spoke with Cinescape about what other mutants we might see if a third film goes ahead: "Angel - The funny thing about Angel is that he was in several versions of the original X-Men script until very, very late in the game...He was also in quite a few drafts of X-Men 2 and it was ultimately decided that, again, story time was better spent developing other characters like Nightcrawler. So hopefully we'll see him in X-Men 3, but it ultimately comes down to serving the story.
Beast - Beast is probably the number one contender who's made it the farthest along in X-Men and X-Men 2. Sentinels - For a while, the Sentinels were in some of the thought processes behind the second movie, but again, it's trying to keep it real and do it right. If they're done, I think they should be in all their 30-foot-tall glory and not walking around human size".
June 12, 2003: Reports indicate that James Marsden has signed on for a third film, but both Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are waiting to see of the story is good. The report also reported that producer Ralph Winter said, "I think if we can figure out the story quickly, we could be out in a two year period."
May 22, 2003: Entertainment Weekly got the latest scoop on what we may be able to expect in the upcoming third X-Installment. Among other hints dropped by various cast members, writer David Hayter notes that while Wolverine's storyline is the fun one, "the heart of the X-Men really revolves around what's happening to Jean and if we see her in the future." Ok, so Hayter says to expect Jean's return as Phoenix. What about director Bryan Singer? He's vague about possible new X-Men (EW doesn't supply any direct quotes), but apparently the current candidates are the blue simian Beast, the winged Angel, and fan-favorite cajun card-thrower Gambit, 'who might present Iceman with some competition for the affections of Rogue, hints Singer'. Sounds good - who else wants this movie tomorrow?
May 22, 2003: X2 Producer Lauren Shuler Donner recently spoke to Empire Magazine about where the X-Men series could go, and it sounds like she's not as attached to the Phoenix storyline saga that is hinted at the end of X2 as the film would suggest. "We don't have to do the trilogy right away. I think you just go do a while different thing, like Days Of Future Past." For those of you who don't know, Days Of Future Past is a famous X-Men storyline set in a dark future where the government has released dangerous mutant-hunting robots called 'The Sentinels' that have tracked and killed most of the X-Men, leaving only a ragged Wolverine and a few remaining X-Men. Since the films haven't even introduced the Sentinels yet in the present, this seems a bit unlikely. But hey - she's the Producer, so I guess it's at least a possibility.
May 12, 2003: Kelly Hu on X3: "My contract was for two films, but we'll have to wait and see what happens when people actually sit down to write the next one," says Hu, who starred in the TV series Nash Bridges and Martial Law and opposite The Rock in The Scorpion King. But waitaminute, didn't she... you know?
May 8, 2003: Shawn Ashmore is also expected to be back for X3. No official signing has been made, but Ashmore is keen on returning as Bobby Drake aka Iceman. Thanks to the various emails sent in. So what about Hugh, Patrick, Ian, Halle, James... no word of them as of yet, although there has been reports that Halle Berry does not wish to return... hmmm, will she be missed?
May 8, 2003: What was left out of X2 and could possibly be in X3...?:
The Danger Room and the Danger room control room (where someone can monitor & supervise the training sessions)
Beast and Beast's laboratory
Angel and Archangel
The interior of Alkali Lake's abandoned base, which included some very intricate prison cells and a giant cylindrical room where a big fight sequence was going to happen between Toad and Nightcrawler, a breathtaking mid-air battle.
A land vehicle that was going to come out of the cargo area of the X-Jet. A secret level in the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
May 5, 2003: Famke Janssen talked with The Toronto Sun and revealed a solid commitment to return in some capacity in a third "X-Men" flick - "I have a firm commitment to the X-Men movies. They are my priority. I've signed for a third. If, and when, it happens I'll arrange my schedule around it...I have no idea where the writers will go with Jean's story, but there are some great possibilities and ones I'd really like to explore".
May 2, 2003: E! Online reports the following rumor from Anderson Jones:
"I can tell you that a very good source says a sequel is a "100 percent" certainty. Already Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, [Alan] Cumming and ex-footballer Daniel Cudmore (Colossus) are signed up for the next adventure. But director Bryan Singer, who's headed to Mexico for more X2 promotion, tells me he has at least one condition for returning to the director's chair: "I have to do something in between.""
May 1, 2003: Alan Cumming confirmed to the Calgary Sun that he and Rebecca Romjin-Stamos have both signed on for a third X-Men! Thanks to DH
April 25, 2003: From Sci-Wire and thanks to CountingDown.com: "Bryan Singer, director of the upcoming X-Men sequel film, X2, told SCI FI Wire that a lot of comic mythology didn't make it into the second movie, but could end up in a third. "Possibly," he said in an interview. "You choose your battles. You figure out what serves the story and what is ultimately tangential." Singer added, "[In] each X-Men film, we lost a character. I had to battle Beast out of the first film. I think Angel was a character that found its way into almost towards the final drafts of this script. I had a wonderful scene with Angel that I was very fond of, and had to get rid of, because you don't want to have characters and plot lines for the sake of having characters and plot lines.""
March 18, 2003: Bryan Singer sat down with CFQ Magazine and had this to say about Beast:
"I love Beast as a character, and I'd like to have him in the next movie. He will have to be done with CG, because makeup would just take too much time. I'd also love to do something with the Danger Room, but that didn't work out."
March 6, 2003: Kelly Hu in a recent interview with E! Online, hints at a possible return of her Lady Deathdtrike character: "I certainly hope so. I've already signed a contract. Whether or not they have me come back is another story, but I'd love to"
February 17, 2003: From an interview with actor Daniel Cudmore, who will be playing Colossus in X2, and possibly X3:
Cudmore said his role in the sequel sets the stage for what he hopes will be an even bigger role in the third film. "I'm currently in negotiations," he said. "Sometimes it can be really daunting. You see all these accredited actors on television and I have to ask myself how I got into this and basically it's luck and lots of hard work. I know that this is a chance of a lifetime, but I'm also taking it in stride. I got so lucky so fast that I'm not stressing out over things. I'm happy and learning this business."
December 10, 2002: Although, he is not in X-Men 2, there are rumors floating around stating that Tyler Mane, the man who played Sabretooth in the first film, is signed on for two more sequels.
November 19, 2002: Sci-Fi Wire spoke with Halle Berry who indicated she has not signed on to play 'Storm' in a third film though if she did she would want a bigger role as her screen time is about equal (if not less) than in the first one, and this entry involves "All the [characters] from the past, plus five new ones. So I think it's very much an ensemble. You don't really get into the mind of Storm in this movie. You don't really get to know where she comes from, what makes her tick. I don't think that's what this one is about...I do think they should use their powers a bit more"
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