For my money, the X-Men franchise went one movie beyond its abilities. That’s not a tremendously fair accusation – the setup for the third chapter at the end of X2 was marvelous, truly giving a hint of things to come. Fast tracking the third chapter and shuffling directors really damaged the franchise, however.

Regardless, the X-Men franchise is rolling on, albeit in a different form. Instead of a fourth chapter focused on the team, Fox is working on spin-offs following Wolverine and a younger Magneto. Apparently these spin-offs are the future for now. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week that there is no script for an X-Men 4 at present, nor is there one in the works.

Even worse news is that Wolverine, the first of the spin-offs, might suffer the same production issues that plagued the third X-Men film. Fox wants the movie on screens next year so they’re committed to go into production the minute Hugh Jackman is freed up from his current production: Baz Luhrman’s Australia. This could result in a movie going into production before its ready, with a star who is tired from his last shoot.

For now it seems the future of X-Men lies on Wolverine’s shoulders (I’m not even going to consider the “young man” concept of the Magneto film right now). That’s a shame. While Wolverine is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, for me his strength comes from his conflict with teammates and his ability to overcome his desire for solitude to be part of the team. Solo stories with Wolverine work in comic book form because we get inside his head, but I really don’t want a movie of Wolverine voice-overs. I almost think it’s better to just leave the X-Men alone. They had a couple of good movies but their best days have passed.