Days of Future… Films
Days of Future Past is one of the best—and most popular—storylines in the X-Men universe; when it was announced that the next X-Men film would be an adaptation of that storyline, people went cuckoo bananas (in a good way). I’m glad to count myself among those people. Then it was announced that Bryan Singer, director ofX-Men and X2: X-Men United, was returning to direct X-Men: Days of Future Past, and the entire internet exploded with fandomonium.
On Friday, Bryan Singer tweeted this peek at Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, in the upcoming sequel. You’ll notice a couple of things: the gray hair and the convenient cropping out of Beast’s upper lip. First, the gray hair. Days of Future Past employs time travel (GASP! I know, right?); this is how we are going to not only get to see the return of fan favorites like Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender but also Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and many of the gang from the original X-Men film trilogy, so expect to see lots of gray hair and wrinkles. Second, the upper lip: it’s no secret that the Beast design has changed over the history of the comic’s publication. In X-Men: The Last Stand, when Beast was portrayed fabulously by Kelsey Grammar, the character design used was that of the Silver Age. When Beast was reintroduced in X-Men First Class, with Hoult, the design used was that of modern Marvel. It’s possible Days of Future Past will incorporate the design change in its representation of time travel. Why does that matter? It doesn’t to most moviegoers, but it’s one of those small things filmmakers should always throw into comic adaptations for fans of the comics.
X-Men Days of Future Past has grown into one of the most anticipated films of the immediate future. That’s not just because it’s a comic adaptation, the return of Bryan Singer, or even because the storyline is so popular; the anticipation of this film is aided by the fact that, since the first film, Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender have gone on to develop fandoms of their own. For me, another factor in my eagerness to see this film—and my joy when it was announced—is the fact that it has to be getting us closer to an adaptation of my personal favoriteX-Men storyline Age of Apocalypse (which would have to feature my favorite X-Men character, Bishop).
X-Men Days of Future Past hits theaters July 18, 2014 (after Hugh Jackman returns as The Wolverine on July 26, 2013). Are you excited, yet?
