Why is that as soon as we as fans get some really great news, something always comes along right away to taint that joy? Such is the tale I have for you today regarding the future of Marvel’s films still under the Fox umbrella.
When producer Bryan Singer confirmed early last month that the sequel to last year’s prequel to the X-Men franchise he started would be called Days of Future Past, it set off a mess of speculation as to just how that would work, given that series now takes place in the past. The general consensus was that they’d probably shift the “present” and “future” of the story back a few decades with the dystopian future being our present and using some of the cast from X-Men movies that Singer directed.
For the second time in the X-Men franchise, Patrick Stewart proved that fanboys are sometimes onto something when at last weekend’s Montreal Comic Con he made it very clear that he should expect to see him (and a few more familiar faces) in the upcoming pre/sequel.
Newsarama described how Stewart responded
… when asked directly by a fan [about the role] during his Q&A panel, the Englishman gave a knowing smile and spoke the words many have been waiting to hear: “I think there is every possibility.”
He proceeded to enthusiastically run down the list of his female co-stars: “Halle Berry! Famke Janssen! Rebecca Stamos! Anna Paquin!” The crowd roared back with delight, opting not to point out his mistake regarding Rebecca Romijn’s current last name. He continued, saying “yes, I’ll be reprising…” only to be cut off by his son Daniel, who proceeded to throw out the names of his father’s male co-stars, Hugh Jackman and Sir Ian McKellen.
Whether this means Stewart knows for a fact that the other main actors in the franchise will also be reprising their roles is uncertain, though it was definitely implied.
That’s fantastic news! Getting pretty much the whole band back together for some crazy apocalyptic time-travel shenanigans, what kind of news could possibly bring down a buzz like that? How about Mark Millar getting handed the keys to Fox’s wing of the Marvel
Universe?
Yes, it seems that the visionary creator who basically just writes down the conversations of 11 year-olds and stoned college kids about “Like, wouldn’t it be cool if Hank Pym sprayed Wasp with bug spray? Or, heh, what if Robin were a little girl that killed people and cursed all the time?” will now “serve as a creative consultant” on Fox’s upcoming Marvel films.
“We are excited to be working with Mark,” said Fox production president Emma Watts. “In addition to his groundbreaking Marvel work, he is simply one of the most original voices in comics today and will be an invaluable resource to us and to our filmmakers as we look for fresh opportunities to innovate within our shared Marvel universe.”
Let’s see if still consider him to be “an invaluable resource” when his incessant cheerleading takes a turn into over-exaggeration, then into outright lying. As he’s been known to do.
What’s the first character Millar’s going to say Fox is adding to their stable?