Well, after being inspired by TANKGIRL's X4: Days of Our Future Past fancast, I decided to cook up an epic concept for a forth X-Men movie, not another prequel or origin story shoved in our faces nowadays.
As many of you know, the rights to the X-Men franchise need to return to
Here is how we can get the correct X-Men movie done right.
- Well, it's obvious - return the rights to Marvel.
- Give the reigns to Joss
- Focus on both Cyclops (who makes a mysterious return) and Wolverine. While Hugh Jackman is a great performer, the filmmakers ruined a good chance to see him and James Marsden exchange words more often.
- The roll call of X-Men and Brotherhood members are loosely based on the roster from Wolverine and the X-Men, yet throwing in some other choices as well. Mystique is part of the X-Men here, because after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, she found solace with Professor Xavier, who is now in his new body.
- Recast some of the mutants. I'm probably gonna get my ass whooped because I don't have DDD's eternally favorite choice for Wolverine, Christian Kane, in there. However, that doesn't mean I've turned a blind eye on the rest of the cast. I see some of them as older versions of what they used to be after X-Men: The Last Stand, and/or I replaced them with actors/actresses who'd be better in the role.
- Let's branch outside of little things such as cures or vindictive nemeses. I'd love to see something like Age of Apocalypse orHouse of M. But for this article, I'm doing Days of Future Past. Like I said, TANKGIRL inspired me! X-)
- Because time travel will be a key aspect, there will be a point in the film where the X-Men will wind up going back in time to when Senator Robert Kelly was still alive. There they must save him from an assassination attempt, just like in the comics.
- SPOILER: At the end of this film, like in the comics, we see discussion of Project: Wideawake, meaning we'll see the Sentinel robots in a future installment. Also, maybe a hint of Jean Grey returning, especially since Rachel Summers (here, she's younger than she was in my Starjammers fancast) makes an appearance in this film. That'll lead into maybe an adaptation of X-Factorwhere some of the mutants look for Jean while dealing with Apocalypse, Mister Sinister, and Madelyne Pryor.
All right, here's the cast, without further ado...
Charles Xavier is Professor X, head of the X-Men and founder the Xavier Institute for mutants. His telepathy makes him one of the world's strongest mutants.
Like I said in my Starjammers cast, I plan on recasting Xavier. Now Patrick Stewart was amazing in every X-Men film he was in, even when he got the shaft in X-Men: The Last Stand. But seeing as though I wanted to depict a romance between Xavier and Lilandra Neramani, I felt it would be too creepy to have a man in his 70's court a woman in her 40's. So I went with a new body. And seeing that Colm Feore is a fan favorite to play Charles Xavier, that would be the donor. HA HA!
Cyclops is a mutant with the ability to absorb solar energies then redirect them as powerful concussive blasts through his eyes, a power he does not have full control over. He is the current leader of the X-Men and has had long-term relationships with Jean Grey and later Emma Frost.
The youngest member of the original X-Men, Bobby is an Omega-level mutant, however he has much more potential then he realizes, only with the aid of Emma Frost did he realize his true potential. Bobby's control of ice is very vast that he can create shields, spikes, and freeze others.
Alot of people didn't like the fact that I kept the original choice for Iceman, Shawn Ashmore, in myChampions of Los Angeles. So, for the best, I replaced him with someone who could probably bring the character to life. I believe Bret Harrison, star of the late Reaper television show, would bring the right balance of comedy and drama needed for Iceman.
A mutant and member of the X-Men, he has angelic wings, as well as unique healing factor in his blood.
As I said, I recast Angel because even when I stuck with Ben Foster, the original choice, for a previous fancast, not many people liked it. I found a loophole where Angel could've aged a bit since the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, and now he looks like Ryan Phillipe. Ryan would bring a lighter feel to Angel instead of Foster's moody, just-tossed-in performance.
One of the original X-Men, perhaps most notable for his blue fur and ferocious exterior yet kind and gentle heart.
We can all admit that Kelsey Grammer gave one of the stronger performances in X-Men: The Last Stand, and I wouldn't mind if he came back. But people are raving for a new choice that would be younger. I wound up going with Keifer Sutherland of 24 fame. He has a voice similar to Kelsey's, can kick ass, is only 2" below Beast's actual height, and looks identical to the Beast from the previous film, so I don't think too many people will notice.
Kurt Wagner is a famous X-Man and a former leader of Excalibur. His mutation allowed him to teleport, shadow meld, and adhere to and climb walls. Despite his demonic appearance Kurt was a devout Catholic as well as a trained acrobat, and a skilled swordsman.
A long-lived mutant with the rage of a beast and the soul of a samurai, James "Logan" Howlett's past is filled with blood, war, and betrayal. Possessing an accelerated healing factor, enhanced senses, and bone claws that along with his skeleton are coated in adamantium, Wolverine is the ultimate weapon.
Storm is a mutant with the ability to perceive and manipulate the energy patterns that dictate the weather. This ability makes her incredibly powerful, and capable of manipulating all elements of weather and inducing a plethora of atmospheric phenomena.
Piotr Rasputin is a mutant who possesses the ability to transform his entire body into organic steel, granting him tremendous strength and durability. He is one of the most physically strong members of the X-men and a skilled artist.
Kitty Pryde is a mutant with the ability to phase through solid materials, as well as render others intangible and knock out mechanical objects by phasing through them She also became the poster child of the X-Men through the years, as well as an instructor at Xavier's Institute.
Ellen Page is probably a huge star by now after Juno, so returning to a small-time role like Shadowcat would be a waste. So I figured a recast would be in order. So thanks to a fancast by JoshW, I went with Lyndsy Fonseca. She is capable of doing comedy (Hot Tub Time Machine and Kick-Ass) and drama (Nikita), plus in the latter TV series, she's also capable of kicking some ass.
Once a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Rogue has become a veteran member of the X-Men. After many years, she has finally gained conscious control of her power to absorb the thoughts, abilities, and memories of others through physical contact. She acts as a mentor for younger X-men.
Good lord, I never knew what an inspired choice this was. Anna Paquin is likely tied up with True Blood, and may not return to the X-Men franchise anytime soon. Plus, her interpretation of Rogue wasn't the one we know from the comic books. So here's how I'd do this: Rogue gets her powers back after the events of the last movie, she winds up acquiring combatant skills, and she looks different than she used to. Vanessa Ferlito would be an amazing replacement; she can do a Southern accent (see Grindhouse and Man of the House) and play tough, bad-ass femme fatales. Who better to play Rogue than her?
Forge is a Cheyenne with natural mystical abilities and the mutant power to innately comprehend technology and build anything he can think of. He's a former love of Storm and also a former X-Men and X-Factor member.
This former Law & Order vet is of Indian decent, in case you didn't know. With a cocky swagger (Miss Congenialityshowed us that), the right look, and great acting talents, he'd make a great Forge.
Jubilee's powers included the ability to generate explosive energy blasts, as well as the ability to detonate matter on a sub-atomic level.
No one probably remembers Kea Wong in the last two X-Men films, so maybe we can introduce her more properly this time around. Brenda Song, a decade-long staple of the Disney Channel, recently branched out into the big screen with The Social Network as Eduardo Savrin's girlfriend, and for the slight amount of screen time she had, she submitted a great performance. She also had solid comic timing, and knows some martial arts (Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior), both necessary for the character of Jubilee.
Emma Frost is the former White Queen of the Hellfire Clubs' Inner Circle. Emma is a powerful telepath and can change her body to a diamond form. She became a prominent member of the X-Men and began a romantic relationship with Cyclops.
Even if we're getting Emma Frost in X-Men: First Class, I'd love to see a love story with her and Cyclops. Maybe we can introduce this version as the daughter. As for Tricia Helfer... pfffffffffffffffffffft! Whoever thinks this isn't the best choice ever has got to be high. Watch an episode of Battlestar Galactica and call me in the morning. She's hotter than January Jones, I'll tell you that much. I couldn't pry away from that shot of her next to the shot of Emma.
Moira MacTaggert was once one of the world's leading authorities on genetic mutation and was the only non-mutant to contract the Legacy Virus.
True to her name, the shape shifting Mystique is an enigma. Is she a mutant terrorist determined to bring about the end of humanity, or a misguided mutant with a good heart?
Magneto is one of the most infamous and powerful Marvel villains, bent on affirming Homo superior's birthright as Homo sapiens' successor. He has a long and turbulent friendship with Charles Xavier. The self-titled "Master of Magnetism" has played many roles: terrorist, savior, conqueror, teacher, revolutionary, king, villain and hero.
One of the most unique and abnormal mutants within the Marvel Universe, Dukes’ main ability is the control of the gravity around him, meaning that he has the mental will to increase the gravity at a short radius that extends 5 feet at most. Due to this ability, even the strongest individuals within the Marvel Universe have difficulties moving Dukes. When Dukes concentrates at a certain degree, he becomes nearly attached to ground beneath him.
Pyro is a mutant with the psionic ability to manipulate flame. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants & Freedom Force.
Destiny had the power of precognition - she could see the future probabilities and then interpret them to best select or manipulate likely events. This also compensated for her physical blindness, as she could 'see' the environment around her. Destiny was more skilled at seeing the direct future - her predictions of far off events were less accurate, as there were more variables involved. She has also displayed the ability to project an astral form to communicate with others telepathically.
Who better to play Mystique's lesbian lover than someone who has the experience of playing a lesbian. I guess I should credit TANKGIRL for this choice.
A member of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Avalanche has the mutant ability to generate incredibly powerful vibration waves from his hands. He can use these waves to cause matter to shatter or crumble. When these waves are directed at a building or directly into the ground, they can create effects reminiscent of earthquakes or avalanches. Avalanche does not actually need to be touching an object in order to affect it with his vibrations. He can be some distance away from an object and still be able to affect it. It should be noted that Avalanche's powers usually have little or no effect on organic matter.
A left-field choice, I'll admit. I read off a fanfic for X-Men 4 and it had Hank cast as Avalanche. Who knows, it could work? For those who lived under a rock, Hank is great at doing a variety of voices onThe Simpsons, and lent his voice for Venom in the mid-90's Spider-Man animated series. Plus, with the same build he had in Night at the Museum 2, and the ability to play douchebags, he'd make a solid Avalanche.
A gadget called Widget which was fed with Trash has appeared in this reality and was later revealed to be Kate Pryde- Rasputin. Rachel Summers attempted to bring her to her own body but has failed since it will have to create a new past or an alternate reality for the two. Though, Kate Pryde has returned to her younger body and found out that Rachel was already dead. The Phoenix Force had then arrived. Kate ran for her life. She then persuaded the entity to bring Rachel to a reality which recaps the bad experiences that she wants to escape. Rachel has disappeared leaving Kate with the Sentinels who have attempted to use the warp to have Rachel back.
A birdie told me that the character of Kitty Pryde was based on Sarah Michelle Gellar. So who better to play the future Shadowcat than said basis?
On Earth-811 ( Days of Future Past), in an alternate future in the year 2013, Storm is one of the last remaining mutants until she dies in an attempt to destroy the Sentinels' command center in New York, though not before taking out an Omega Sentinel all by herself.
Angela Bassett was once considered to play Storm back when an X-Men film was in the works back in the 90's. If they'd bring future Storm onto the big screen, let's see Angela take an opportunity. With the right hair, she'd pass for an older Halle Berry.
As one of the last mutants on Earth, Colossus went on a suicide run and was killed by Sentinels while his wife, Kate Pryde searched the cause of their dystopian future.
Even if he's shorter than Daniel Cudmore, I caught this choice off of an old X-Men fancast. He's built well, and he also played a superhero as well... SUPERMAN!
Wolverine was one of only a few mutants left, along with Storm, Colossus, and Kitty Pryde. In this alternate reality, the X-Men had failed to stop the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly. In retaliation, the Sentinels would soon help enforce the United States of America against mutants in general. During one of the confrontations against the Sentinels, Wolverine jumped towards a Sentinel ready to kill it when a Sentinel ended up killing Wolverine with its laser. It burned off all of Wolverine’s flesh and he fell to the ground, with only his adamantium left.
That's right, folks, Ron Perlman! In my eyes, he almost looks like an aged version of Hugh Jackman, complete with a similar voice. This casting choice would also be perfect for an adaptation of Old Man Logan.
In the Days of Future Past reality Franklin is one of the few remaining mutants. He is the lover of Rachel Summers. He was later killed by an Omega Sentinel.
I really couldn't find a good choice for the teenage son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm, so I decided to borrow TANKGIRL's choice. Hey, I'm not that big a comic book reader!
Rachel Summers is the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey from Earth-811. Rachel was the third Phoenix, now goes by the Marvel Girl codename as a homage to her mother, Jean Grey.
I have Lindy Booth as an older Rachel Summers during her stint as a Starjammer, so I had to find someone who looked just like her. Well, I took a huge risk with this actress, Victorious! co-star Ariana Grande. I think some of the actresses on Nickelodeon are better than the ones on the Disney Channel, by the way. And Ariana looks a young version of Lindy Booth. Not to mention that she's a pretty good actress and someone to watch in the future.
Senator Robert Kelly was a member of the United States Senate, where he supported the Mutant Registration Act. Despite of his beliefs the X-men saved him on divers occasions, and he changed his mind about mutants.
Feel free to leave comments, and check out my other fancasts:
Champions of Los Angeles
New Avengers
Fantastic Four
Marvel Knights
Starjammers
