The future of the core X-Men movies seems to be in flux. With X-Men: Apocalypse, out in May 2016, bringing the trilogy that began with First Class to an end, some of the cast members have put their future with the franchise up for debate. However, the latest report states that both Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy have signed on for more movies.
The news comes to us from Umberto "El Mayimbe" Gonzalez’s Heroic Hollywood, which states they received "a hot tip" about "a hot rumor" that says both of these stars will continue to portray Magneto and Professor Xavier after the Apocalypse is over. Fassbender previously spoke with MTV, during which time he devolved into cryptic statements about his future. At the time, which was back in April, he said he only signed on for three films total and wasn’t sure about anything afterwards, though he said he’d be interested in returning.
Both are currently still filming Bryan Singer’s latest installment up in Toronto, Canada. The film sees Fassbender's metal-manipulating mutant become one of En Sabah Nur’s (Oscar Isaac) Four Horsemen, along with Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), and Angel/Archangel (Ben Hardy). Regardless of what happens at the end of this film, the story leaves the franchise open for many future sequels.
It certainly wouldn’t be shocking to see Fassbender and McAvoy pop up again in some capacity, given how Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen’s iterations were involved at the end of The Wolverine and in Days of Future Past. There are also the younger versions of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Storm, Angel, Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and Jubilee (Lana Condor) to think about. If there’s potential for these characters to step up and become the face of the main story line moving forward, they will need some guidance from their good ol’ professor, at the very least.
We’ll have to wait and see what comes of this report. Already it doesn’t seem like Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Mystique, will return. Despite what she teased at Comic-Con, the costume and make-up for the shapeshifter are not the easiest to embrace. If she departs, the franchise will need Fassbender and McAvoy to lead the charge. The former might even be up for an Oscar nomination after this year’s Macbeth and Steve Jobs.
Fox is also prepping to release Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds and Gambit starring Channing Tatum next year, and they announced an adaptation of the New Mutants comic books. Meanwhile, Bryan Singer confirmed discussions have taken place about crossing over the X-Men and Fantastic Four. With so much up in the air at this point, it’s nice to at least have some focal points to ground us, and hopefully Fassbender and McAvoy are them.
