With the announcement of Brett Ratner taking over as director, you’d think there would be a little pause in the flow of X-Men 3 rumor while he slides into his chair. That doesn’t seem to be the case. Hold on while I try to bring you up to speed on the latest.

First up is the internet movie site IESB, out trying to counteract AICN’s negative script review which isn’t even published yet, by hunting down big-wigs involved in making X3. They hog-tied screenplay rewriter Simon Kinsberg and have posted a video interview with him. According to Kinsberg, the X-Men 3 script that AICN claims features three major character deaths, sex scenes, and the loss of a character’s powers is no longer the script they’re using. It’s apparently a very early, very different version. Let’s hope the current version doesn’t still kill off half the people on screen.

Kinsberg further reveals that Dark Phoenix is in the movie in a big way (though as a secondary plotline), totally contradicting what has already been said by Marvel Head Avi Arad. I guess pick and choose who you want to believe. He adds that while Gambit is not a major character, Kittie Pride, Beast, Angel, and Juggernaut are. That makes me think Gambit is only being introduced here, to make it easier for him to join the team after Wolverine leaves for his spinoff movie. Makes sense since the big knock on Gambit (which I’ve never agreed with) is that the dynamic he brings to the X-Men is to similar to that of Wolverine.

Which leads me to IESB’s other relevant interview, a talk with Fox big wig Tim Rothman. He describes the script as “strong” and “good” but who cares, he’s paid to say that. But he does confirm that both the Magneto and Wolverine spin off movies are still happening, which plays back in to my Gambit theory above.

Finally, if all of that has gotten you back to feeling warm and fuzzy about X-Men 3, let me take a moment to yank you back to depressing reality. MTV.com has posted a few choice quotes from an MTV Television interview with Brett Ratner regarding his new directorial project. If Matthew Vaughn came off as an arrogant prick, then Ratner comes off as a complete and total tard. He tries to justify himself as some sort of super-comic fan, but see if this makes any sense to you: “Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner are in that age range who grew up on comics… Well, I don't know if he grew up on comic books, but in that generation where comic heroes are part of our society and part of our pop culture.” I assume that by “he” Ratner means himself which begs the question: Why the heck is he talking about himself in third person?

He did a little more third person talking when he blurted out the following: "Jackie Chan says Brett Ratner is the luckiest guy in the world," he said talking about what Jackie thinks of him directing a comic book franchise.

Ratner then went on to address all of us internet meanies who hate him. "[They think] I'm the antichrist!" he said laughingly. "I don't think about it." Hopefully he means he doesn't think about his detractors, not that he doesn't think about being the antichrist.

He also talked a little about the superhero franchise curse, that sends them spiraling into crapdom after the second film. At least I think that's what he's talking about, "I'm not Joel Schumacher... and I'm not ... um ... who did the third Superman?" For my own sanity, I'm going to assume he was joking. He then stomps on the grave of Christopher Reeves and I think even threatens to kill Brandon Routh by saying, "Well, there's also the fact that all the Supermans die a tragic death... Do you think the new guy [Brandon Routh] is going to die also?" That was in pretty poor taste Brett.

But it's ok, because he feels great about his current project, "I want to stay true to the franchise and true to the characters, but I think it's elevated ... I don't want to be pompous and say I'm going to take it to the next level. I think the script that Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn wrote gives me a tremendous amount of confidence." Promising to make this movie funnier (god help us) he comments, "Not jokes for the sake of jokes, jokes that come from character humor, that come from characters and that come from the situations."

Ratner talked further about the film, citing crappy material as the reason Bryan Singer left even though Bryan Singer has said all along that had nothing to do with it. Regardless, Bryan Singer’s taint is Brett Ratner’s treasure, “I don't think this movie is tainted; I think it is fantastic and the script is amazing." Put your trust in him. You can’t go wrong, “I'm Brett, and all I know is what I know, what I can do and what I have to work with."