The first X-Men was really a landmark for comic book movies, because it illustrated that Hollywood was finally taking superheroes seriously.
As you may recall, there were a slew of dreadful comic adaptations before X-Men and the film really went a long way in turning things around for superheroes on the big screen.
A big key to the success of the first two X-Men movies was director Bryan Singer. Before X-Men, the rap on Singer was he got lucky because The Usual Suspects had a great script that a monkey could have directed, but X-Men indeed proved that Singer had the goods as a filmmaker. Once Singer got fired from the series, it was never the same without him, and it proved you couldn’t fill the spot with just anyone.
So now the news came down via Deadline that Matthew Vaughn, who directed X-Men: First Class, will not be returning for the sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Who’s the #1 choice to take his place? Bryan Singer.
If Singer indeed comes back, it would be a very welcome return, because again, the series was never the same without him, and if he could bring X-Men back to its initial glory, I’m certainly all for it.
As Deadline notes, if Singer comes back, he would be working with the current X-Men prequel cast, and there’s already a script ready to go, although that certainly wouldn’t stop any director from hiring a hoard of screenwriters to retool it. If Singer agrees to come back, he’s going to have to accept the gig quickly, because Fox wants to make its July 18, 2014 release date.
In the meantime, the next Wolverine spin-off is currently filming, and it remains on track to hit theaters next summer on July 26, 2013.
