There were a number of questions facing theX-Menfranchise after the release of last year’sX-Men: Apocalypse. One of the biggest sticking points, however, was the fact that the film marked the end of the initial contracts signed withMichael Fassbender,Jennifer Lawrence,James McAvoy, andNicholas Houltback when they first joinedX-Men: First Class. The casting of these promising talents for that 2011 film proved incredibly fortuitous, as 20th Century Fox eventually had some of the biggest and best actors in the world in theirX-Menfranchise. But given how busy they’ve all gotten, it was unclear whether they’d re-up their contracts afterApocalypseand continue on, or step away from the series for good.
The franchise itself also hit a crossroads. WhileX-Men: Days of Future Pastwas received positively by critics and fans alike,Apocalypsewas met with a more muted response. Moreover, Fox had the massively successfulDeadpoolon its hands, and was sendingHugh Jackmanoff into the sunset withLogan. If ever there was a time for reinvention, this was it.
Foxrecently set release datesforDeadpool 2—which will eventually lead to a fullX-Forcemovie—as well as the young-skewing spinoffNew Mutants, but the studioalsoconfirmed thatthe mainX-Menfranchise will continue withX-Men: Dark Phoenix, which will explore the Dark Phoenix story arc withSophie Turner’s interpretation of the character.
But with the original quartet be back? Speaking recently onJosh Horowitz’s podcast Happy Sad Confused, Fassbender seemed to confirm that he’ll be reprising his role as Magneto when asked if we can expect to see him in any of these futureX-Menmovies:
“Possibly. Yeah, likely.”
When asked if he’s inNew MutantsorDark Phoenix, the actor seemed to playfully hint he’ll be in the latter, but his cageyness suggests that contract negotiations may still be ongoing. Still, it sounds like Fassbender is interested in continuing on, which is a big get for Fox.
Simon Kinberg, the writer/producer on these most recentX-Menmovies, is eyeing the director’s chair onDark Phoenixbut hasn’t yet been confirmed. With a November 2018 release date looming, however, we should expect to hear much more about the film soon. For now, it certainly sounds like at least Fassbender will probably be back, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some combination of McAvoy, Hoult, and Lawrence also return.
