The X-Men Hero Who Still May Get A Standalone Movie

We all know that superhero movies absolutely dominate the box office. There’s something about seeing our collective imaginations take flight in big-budget and visually stunning movies that brings out the inner child in all of us. As such, studios have a habit of producing film after film, in hopes of cashing in on this trend. One of the longest running franchises is the X-Men movies, which released its first movie back in 2000. These films have been released steadily since, with 6 main movies in the canon. 

What’s strange is how rarely spinoff films have occurred in the X-Men franchise. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is currently filming his third spinoff, but no other characters have ever gotten the chance to have a solo outing (except for our homeboy Deadpool). 

Now it appears that Bryan Singer is hoping for a new solo outing with another major X-Men character. Namely, Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique from the First Class trilogy.

mystique

Bryan Singer’s recent appearance on the Empire podcast all but confirmed his wish for a Mystique-centric movie. In the podcast he said the following:

People have asked if I’d do a stand-alone [movie about Mystique]. I think she’s right. . . . She has that view of the world.

This statement by Bryan Singer echoes what that had been said back when X-Men: Days of Future Past was being released. At that point, X-Men screenwriter Simon Kinberg told EW that he believed a spinoff film would allow Jennifer Lawrence to truly shine, rather than sharing the screen with such a large ensemble cast.

I love what Jen Lawrence has done with Mystique, and I feel like because she is in such a crowded ensemble, there’s so much more opportunity if you were to follow her solo.

Having Jennifer Lawrence lead her own spinoff movie makes a great deal of sense for a few reasons. 

To start, Jennifer Lawrence’s starpower would presumably be a major box office draw. While we might love the opportunity for different X-Men character to get their own film, few actors are quite as powerful as J Law at this point. Seeing Katniss *ahem* Mystique kick some major ass in a big budget spinoff might be a great way to keep an otherwise unplanned franchise on its feet. Alternatively, this could help X-Men release more films, akin to Star Wars’ plan to release a spinoff or main chapter every year. 

A Mystique movie would also work because of the unique way that the First Class trilogy has handled the character. While the original Mystique, played by Rebecca Romijn, had all of 5 lines throughout 3 films, Jennifer Lawrence’s version is a bonafide star of the films. She’s a conflicted, flawed, and layered character who could surely carry a spinoff film. Plus, Fox has the ability to create original stories, rather than following closely to the comics, where Mystique was rarely a hero.

Then again, it seems unlikely that Jennifer Lawrence would be willing to continue her tenure as Mystique. She’s shown a particular disdain for the makeup process, which is why she wasn’t blue for the majority of X-Men: Apocalypse. And considering she’s been Katniss and Mystique for so long, she may be ready to step away from franchises, and work on more intimate Oscar-worthy projects.

Would you see a Mystique solo film with Jennifer Lawrence? Sound off in the comments below.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.