A Mix Of Set Photos From X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Patrick Stewart On The Set Of X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST As Production Begins

WHAT IF: Fox Wanted A Juno Reunion For A X-MEN Spin-Off Centered On Ellen Page's KITTY PRYDE

During SlashFilm's Filmcast/FilmAid writer and director Jason Rietman (Thank You For Smoking, Young Adult) revealed he almost directed an X-Men film for Fox. He said the studio was talking to him to put together a Kitty Pryde solo film after the success of Juno. Having Jason direct, Diablo Cody write and of course Ellen Page reprising the role of Kitty. The project didn't end up happening but Kitty is being linked with large role in X-Men Days of Future Past. It's possible talk of solo film could come up again considering Page's previous worldwide exposure thanks to Inception. I wouldn't even be shocked if she became involved with the Wolverine franchise, since Kitty and Logan had their own team-up adventures.

Halle Berry Confirmed To Reprise Storm For X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Halle Berry has confirmed she will indeed return to the X-Men franchise as Storm in X-Men Days of Future Past. Her role isn't expected to be as large as fellow returners like Hugh Jackman and Ellen Page  (expected to have major roles) but will should make fans happy even if it's a cameo. It's possible she and others could have elaborate death scenes in the future setting via Sentinels. Prompting the time-travel aspect to kick into gear. The rest of the cast includes Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Omar Sy, Peter Dinklage, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin and Shawn Ashmore.

SPOILER SPECULATION: What We Know So Far About X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Production won't begin until the Spring/Summer but a few details concerning Bryan Singer's X-Men Days of Future Past have been leaking out. I've put together a bit of rundown of known aspects and my own speculation.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES: So who is behind the production of the new film? Longtime producer Lauren Shuler Donner (producing all X-Men films) of course is back with co-producers Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg. Bryan (Usual Suspects) directed the first two X-Men films and produced X-Men First Class along with the upcoming The Wolverine. Kinberg wrote X3, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. And Mrs. Smith and Days of Future Past. Simon was recently hired by LucasFilm to write an unnamed Star Wars spin-off. He'll also consult and produce Episode VII working with Larry Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Kathy Kennedy and screenwriter Michael Arndt. Another high profile science fiction project Simon will be producing is Neill Blomkamp's (District 9) epic Baja Dunes/Elysium.

Matthew Vaughn (who was originally set to direct) and Jane Goldman were also involved in script rewrites but it's unknown if their revises will be even be used. Mark Millar who is also friendly with the two had been hired by Fox to be their Marvel creative consultant. Millar is best known for creating the Ultimates (which inspired the Marvel Studios cinematic universe) along with his original material Kick-Ass, Nemesis, Supercrooks, Secret Service, Superior and Wanted. He'll be involved with the X-Men films including Deadpool and Wolverine,  and Fantastic Four.

RETURNING CAST MEMBERS FROM FIRST CLASS: At this point the four main cast members James McAvoy (Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven) and Nicholas Hoult (Beast) are the only ones officially confirmed. However, actor Jason Flemyng has revealed he was called back for the role of Azazel which does make sense. As Raven and Azazel end up being the parents of Nightcrawler, so he needs to stick around. It will be interesting to see if Havoc or Banshee will be back as well. While the film will blend both franchises into one giant epic it's likely it will focus more on the First Class characters.

RETURNING CAST MEMBERS FROM ORIGINAL TRILOGY: Confirmed returning cast members include Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Ellen Page (Shadowcat), Anna Paquin (Rogue) and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman). It's possible that Storm, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler could also have roles but it might be getting overloaded with the amount of returners. It's expected that Kitty and Logan will have rather large roles in the film while the other trilogy actors could only have cameos.

VILLAINS OF THE FILM: While it's possible there could be more than one villain in the film at the moment it's looking like Peter Dinklage is playing Bolivar Trask. The creator of the Sentinels which are giant robots built to capture or kill high powered mutant threats. This angle may lead to mutant prison/work camps or the insurrection of the entire mutant population. It's unknown which timeline Trask will be introduced as the character is likely being rebooted. As Bill Duke played the character in X3 but is being replaced by Dinklage. I assume that Trask could be setting up shop in the 70's rather than the future. I wouldn't rule out Mister Sinister or Apocalypse being involved as well. Since the two mutant villains are known for cleansing the mutant population for their benefit and could exploit the Sentinels.

NIXON WILL BE PRESIDENT: Keeping the real-world setting of First Class which had President Kennedy and the Cold-War being the backdrop. It's looking like the Vietnam War and President Nixon will be the timeline for our First Class characters. While the future timeline is unknown, it could be set post-The Wolverine which takes place after the events of X3. It's possible that Nixon might endorse the Sentinel program. Perhaps, after an assassination of a President by a mutant (Bishop or Magneto?). There was already a tease by Matthew Vaughn about an opening scene involving Magneto causing the death of President Kennedy.

TIME-TRAVEL: One element that has been confirmed is time-travel director Bryan Singer mentioned speaking with James Cameron on the subject. Likely, picking his brain about how he was able to make the Terminator franchise so believable. As the film takes story elements from Days of Future Past we could see Kitty Pryde (Shadow Cat) being sent back in time to warn/assist the old X-Men team to either stop or create an important event to change the future. Which may or may not involve killing/saving Nixon from being assassinated by a mutant or the creator of the Sentinel program. This could lead to finally introducing X-Men characters Cable and or Bishop into the franchise.

Ellen Page And Anna Paquin Return For X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Bryan Singer is seemingly tweeting every casting addition to X-Men Days of Future Past. He's just announced the return of Ellen Page, Anna Paquin and Shawn Ashmore who play Kitty Pryde, Rogue and Iceman. It's safe to assume the rest of the surviving X-Men from X3 will be returning too.

Fan Made STAR WARS EPISODE VII Poster Has A Decent Cast Wish-List

RUMOR: INCEPTION 2 Really Happening And Next For Nolan?

Inception is one of the highest grossing original films ever made making $820 million worldwide during it's theatrical release. It wasn't based on existing material and wasn't a sequel. However, it looks like Warner Bros. is eager to have Christopher Nolan develop it into a franchise with Inception 2. A while back it was revealed by actor Tom Hardy (via ScreenRant) that the cast had signed-on for sequels. Even Nolan commented on a potential sequel during an interview.

“It’s not something I want to say no to, but it’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought about.”

Over the summer a rumor sparked that Nolan's next film could be Inception 2. ComicBookMovie seems to have a source within Warner Bros. that could see the concept of inception actually being the star of the film. They say they'll ditch the original cast (already seems fishy) and focus on the military properties of the device. In the film Arthur mentions briefly the device was originally created by the military, a simple hint to a sequel? Apparently, if Nolan turns it down they're going to pursue it with another director. This sounds like a giant leap and could be completely fictional. That said, Christopher hasn't made an announcement about his next film, so anything could happen.

"Rumors spread that a group of people managed to pull off Inception, and middle-eastern terrorists soon catch onto the idea and plan to perform Inception on world leaders, forcing them to dissolve law and order". 

SPECULATION: Kitty Pryde Appearing In THE WOLVERINE And X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST?

Hugh Jackman has already confirmed The Wolverine won't have connections to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Being a standalone film gives the impression it might not even have ties to the original trilogy. Going as far as rumors of director James Mangold re-shooting Logan's origin scenes. We currently don't know the film's timeline or connections to the other films. However, GeekFiles (via CBM) has spotted the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning logo on set. The school is founded by Wolverine with himself acting as headmaster and Kitty Pryde as it's headmistress. Could this be the way Fox links X-Men: Days of Future Past with X-Men 4?

Kitty and Logan are important characters to the Days of Future Past source material so it wouldn't be hard to imagine them being featured in Matthew Vaughn's sequel. The pair even had their own set of team-up comics, so Shadow Cat could show up in The Wolverine. It's unknown at this point if they'll be able to get Ellen Page back as Kitty or just recast the part all together. The First Class sequel is set to start production early next year, planting seeds a year before it's release wouldn't hurt.

Jessica Biel had been linked for a role in The Wolverine but oddly walked from talks. The role had been revealed as Viper who has a history with Logan but went to Russian actress Svetlana Khodchenkova instead. Perhaps, she wasn't wanted for Viper but instead an older version of Kitty. If it had been reported that Biel had landed the Kitty role it would be apparent what Fox was trying to do, bridging the two X-Men franchises. We know that the studio is currently trying to put together X-Men 4 and seeking out a new team of mutants could be a way to separate itself from Vaughn's franchise.

James Gunn's Super Gets April's Fools Release Date!

James Gunn's ultra-violent superhero comedy Super has been set to be released on April 1st. The film is being compared to Kick-Ass but isn't based on existing source material which is nice to see. There are some short clips floating online which sold me on the film. Hopefully this means the trailer won't be too far away.