Such is the time we live in when franchises are no longer just about sequels or prequels. Spinoffs are the newest goldmine that studios are looking at, hoping to extend branding outward in a never-ending reach of blockbuster moviemaking. "Cars" has begotten "Planes," Disney is already planning "Star Wars" standalone movies between the saga sequels, Sony is developing movies around the Spider-Man villains and now Fox are toying with the idea of individual X-Men movies. Because of course they are. But they’ve been here before.
In the lead up to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Fox was also working on "X-Men Origins: Magneto" in what would’ve likely been a series of one-off movies for the mutants in the X-Men series. But when "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" flopped hard and disappointed the fanboys, those plans were scrapped, and the movie has largely been ignored in the franchise timeline. But don’t think that Fox has given up on the idea. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner tells EW that she’s keen on trying it again.
“There was a regime [at the studio] that didn’t see the worth in [spin-offs], and the current people who run Fox understand, embrace it, and we’re going to do right by it,” she said. “I’d like to do Gambit. I’d like to do Deadpool. We’ll see. There’s a lot of really great characters.”
And for writer/producer Simon Kinberg, Mystique holds a special allure. “I love what Jen Lawrence has done with her, and I feel like because she is in such a crowded ensemble, there’s so much more opportunity if you were to follow her solo,” he said.
So, time to get excited? Well, we’d say it’s probably still a ways off (and we’d probably say that the long developing Ryan Reynolds version of "Deadpool" is totally dead and will be rebooted). Right now, Fox has their attention on this summer’s "X-Men: Days Of Future Past," with "X-Men: Apocalypse" already slated for 2016. And let’s not forget "The Wolverine 2," which provides Hugh Jackman the continued opportunity to toy with the emotions of fans with his non-committal commitment to reprising his role as Logan.
"I am not signed on, but if I was a betting man I would say there is a good chance," the actor told Yahoo about returning to the series.
We’d take that bet too. "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" arrives on May 23rd.
