No Comic Day, + New X-Movie

[newnumber6]

No comics today, which is becoming rather common. I think I may be down just to two books at the moment. Marvel and DC have really been doing great jobs at driving me away.

Work wasn't bad, showed up earliesh and wasn't too heavy, so, well, I'm done this early, that says it all, pretty much.

In other news, they've announced a movie tentatively titled "X-Men: First Class", dealing with younger mutants. Now, what it's about is unclear, and possibly even subject to change, but let's play the game and think about it, particularly with respect to the characters who may or may not be in it.
I've heard some reports that it's literally about the first class, younger versions of mutants we've already met.

The problem is, unless they plan to completely toss out the continuity and do a reboot (which I suppose they could), that idea doesn't work too well:
Young Jean, fine. Young Scott, fine (although probably boring to most). But you can't have Young Wolverine because he wasn't found until X1. Likewise, Iceman was _very_ young in X1, so you can't use him. Angel was first discovered in X3, so he's out. I suppose you could use Beast, but I got the impression that although he worked with X before he wasn't a member of the team and most of them were unfamiliar with him. So the 'original X-Men' can't actually be the Original X-Men. Who are you left with? Well, I suppose you could retrofit Storm, make her one of the first. Seems a reasonable choice, especially since Halle Berry won't be playing her. Colossus could be a maybe, but again I got the impression he was relatively new (and young) compared to the others. So who else is there? Well, you could use Banshee. Thunderbird maybe, if you wanted somebody to kill off. I don't think Emma was in any of the movies but I might have been blocking out some of X3. Anyway, you could switch things up and have her as an early student and do an Emma/Jean Rivalry plot (if they're trying to skew towards the crowd who likes things like gossip girl, which is not an unreasonable assumption considering they got one of the writers of it for the movie), maybe leading with her to go off on her own. I think she's in the upcoming Wolverine though so there'd have to be some coordination. Still, Jean, Scott, Storm and any of the combination of others (Banshee/Emma and let's even throw in Beast) feels kind of lame as a movie cast.

The other option is to have it be a new group of mutants, and maybe "First Class" referring to it being the first group of young students being solely in the responsibility of one of the older X-Men (obviously, the big box office draw would be Wolverine if they could get him). With this option you could theoretically set it any time between any of the movies with a little recasting, so you could have mutants who appeared in the other movies (like Kitty) as part of their first discovery, but most likely I think they'd set it as the next step, so you'd have to use _mostly_ new ones, maybe with a few who were in the other movie and are now older.

The obvious route here is to plumb the various "Younger X-Men" books. Since the X-Movies have _never_ followed anything approaching the timeline in the books, as regards to character appearances (and in fact I don't think any adaptations of it in cartoons have either), you can mix and match to your heart's content. But here's who I'd like to see, taking into account both the me-likey factor and the "can he be easily translated to film" issues (which leaves out Rockslide, for example). However, I'm sort of writing this 'as it occurs to me', so I might change my mind mid-stream.

Chamber: Because he's visually cool and always a personal fave. The team really needs one "can't pass" mutant, also, and he would be easy to do - he just needs a cool FX shot whenever he opens his bandages.
Pixie: As a maybe, to sort of contrast with Chamber. He's the darker, brooding one, and she's also obvious but light and overactive and happy. Her wings would be pretty easy to do and although some of her 'look' (like her eyes) might have to be ditched in a movie, it's not essential. She also brings in the newest 'era', and allows cross-promotion with the newest comics. (Armor would be another possibility for this)
Kitty Pryde: Also a maybe. For recognizability, mostly, she has wider 'outside-of-comics' from any of the other kid characters (except maybe Jubilee) because she's been in so many of the adaptations. The big problem? Youngish Kitty was in all the X movies and it might be stretching it a bit to still have her a teen (unless you set the movie very shortly after the last, in which case you'd probably have to include Bobby and Rogue.. that might well be the route the movie goes as they'll be more popular and recognizable, but it does not appeal so much to me considering Bobby and Rogue were all over the first three movies).
Monet: A good possibility. Because every teen-focused movie, even with super powers, needs the stuck up rich girl! Also her powers are relatively easy to portray. Super strength, telepathy, and even flight's getting easy to do now. Unfortunately I think as far as Gen-Xers go, to avoid making it an all GenX movie, it's either-or, her or Husk. (also because Husk's most likely used _movie_ ability will be to husk into a form with superstrength/durability, so there's power-crossover too) As much as I like Husk, I think Monet has better prospects in a movie (unless you put Husk and Cannonball and made some brother/sister connection part of the plot?). Or I suppose you could make Magma (as Allison) the 'rich bitch' of the team and Husk as the muscle, but then, well, too many blondes is a worry.
Hellion: Another 'kind of jerky' type, and they've had experience portraying TK.
X-23: This isn't so much a 'want', but if they don't have Wolverine, I think they'd find some reason to put her in there. If not, definitely Wolfsbane would be a good choice - got the whole 'feral' thing going, plus she's a member of the NuMus, which we don't really have yet.

As much as I like them, there is a slight problem with the NuMus - I can't really see most of them in movies, at least not the classics. Cannonball's too hard to do right in live action. Sunspot can be done, but 'super strength' is better encapsulated in other characters. Moonstar's doable, but potentially too much teepage. Still, she's certainly a potential.

I'm sure Cypher, if he appeared at all would only be a background character at best, because Languages aren't Sexy. But I'd like to see him.
Magma and Wolfsbane are doable. Karma maybe if you limit Possession to one other person rather than the mass possession she does in the comics. Magik's story is too complicated (if they reduced her to just a teleporter she could appear but wouldn't be nearly so interesting). Later characters like Rictor, Boom-Boom, Skids, or Rusty could each work but with the exception of Boom-Boom none really interest me. So in my ideal choice, I'd have Wolfsbane (and no X-23) but probably none of the others.

Hmmm... maybe I'd make my ideal list:
Chamber, Magma (as the rich girl), Synch (power copying always helpful), Husk, Wolfsbane, Hellion, Pixie, Kitty if I could, Cypher (as the more human type and maybe as super-hacker that he figures out he can be halfway through the movie).

I'm still iffy on Magma, considering replacing her with Monet. But with Magma we have 3 from each 'era' of teen books (plus Kitty, kinda the first X-Teen sidekick). On the other hand, Magma is fire-based, and although Chamber's powers are different, from a _movie_ perspective, they'd probably come off about the same. So if we're going to have functional-powerset-crossover anyway, I think I'd rather do it with Monet. She can also better play the "I'm not only rich and beautiful but I've also got more/better powers than you" game. Yeah, what the hell, screw symmetry, give me Monet instead of Magma.

Comments

[angelophile.livejournal.com]

I personally think they've now left it a little late to do the New X-men route now most of the actors playing the characters have aged (or in Ellen Page's case, moved onto bigger things). Given the title - First Class - I'm still of the opinion it's likely to be an X-men movieverse origin story, pickin young teens to fit the roles of Ororo, Scott, Jean and Hank as they were presented in the movieverse as the X-men's original recruits. The question arises with that as to whether they could tempt Patrick Stewart back. (Or even McKellen in cameo). Knowing the thinking of studios, this would seem to be the likely route - they've tapped the Magneto character with his prequel, Wolverine's covered in his, so that leaves the other "A-list" X-men available for use.

I honestly can't imagine the studio going for a sequel which uses mostly unknown characters. Maybe if they got Rogue, Bobby, Kitty and Bobby, as they were in prominent roles. But your take, and list, welcome as it would be, seems unlikely. I'd love to see a New Mutants/New X-men/Gen X mash up on the big screen, but I find it hard to believe it'll happen.

If they do go the original group route, there's room for other characters to be in there, though. Maybe the Ultimate route of having Emma as a co-head (although Moira seems more likely, given she's in the movieverse already). Perhaps Sean and Alex as well.

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

I don't know. While I know my list is hopelessly optomistic and will never come to be, I still don't think a movie full of relative unknowns is totally out of the question. Remember, comic geeks aside, probably _most_ of the characters in the first movie were unknowns to a lot of the audience. Most people weren't tuning in because they wanted to see Cyclops, they were buying tickets to see cool mutant action. _Now_ they're household names, of course, but then? I think people overestimate their recognizability.

Relative unknowns (Again, probably with a known headliner to help pack them in, ideally Wolverine) could be a bold strategy to try to not only squeeze one more movie out of it, but get a whole franchise, since with the younger actors, if they succeeded, you could get another few movies out of them, and you can also tap into the Harry Potter type market of kids who want to imagine themselves going to the school and having adventures, rather than being full fledged Superheroes, grim and gritty.

I actually think that has a better chance of _working_ than the prequel idea, at least one with the limited cast we could get from the movieverse. Scott, from what I've gathered from people not into comics (and of course a good chunk of people who are) is considered boring and dull and people wondered why Jean didn't just ditch him for Wolverine (probably why he was killed off so early in X3). I don't see anyone wanting to come to theatres to see him in his early days. Jean and Storm will probably have some appeal, particularly if recast as hot young teens, but after them you're still more or less back to the same problem - unknown characters, at least to most of the audience, and no big _draw_. You're not _much_ more better off than an adult draw, a few recognizable faces, but with a new cast, and IMHO, there's less opportunity for extendibility in a prequel.

Still, more likely if they were going that route, agreed, they would use Rogue/Bobby/Kitty, maybe with recasting (a bit of a dirty word, but not too much in a big ensemble movie, and Kitty was recast in every movie), and a smaller group of unknowns as support. But I like to dream big hence my mashup cast. :)

And yeah, First Class _does_ tend to imply the original ones, but it could also be taken as "First Class under Wolverine's Wing", or even "Hey, I'm a new mutant here, and this is my first class!" And, at this early stage, before any filming takes place, I can only assume it's a working title anyway, maybe kept but maybe ditched.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

There was a rumor going around a LOOOOONG time ago they were considering doing a New Mutants movie. After the shit they pulled with X3? I'd rather not have any of my favorite X-team on screen in a central fashion. However, if Marvel Films is behind it, there'd be less chance of it being completely retarded.

I do like your suggestions for a movie!team. But I'm not so sold on Magma. Half the reason she was interesting in the comics was her culture shock story once she sorted out Nova Roma was a lie. Otherwise, she pretty much annoyed the crap out of me. Esp. when she was fooling around with Empath.

Gleaned this offa Wiki, not sure how accurate it is. In 2007, Zak Penn revealed he was attached to direct a spin-off. He explained, "The original idea was to have me do a young X-Men spin-off, a spin-off of the young X-Men characters. But someone came up with a pretty interesting idea [...] it was this guy who worked with me named Mike Chamoy, he worked a lot with me on X3. He came up with how to do a young X-Men movie which is not what you'd expect." Penn later compared the idea to X-Men: First Class.

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I think this is still Fox, not Marvel Films - Fox owns the rights to the X-universe for quite a while, I believe, since it was so successful for them. So _probably_ suck, at least based on X3 (although theoretically if they chose better directors and writers it might have worked... I have no idea on the guy they chose, though, and his relative quality).

Still, although I can understand the "I don't want my fave characters to be in a crappy movie" instinct, for me, even if the movie itself is bad, to me, there'll still be fanboy squee just from seeing some beloved character on screen. Like, I hated nearly everything about X-3, but I still love that it gave me a live action Beast for a little while that was just great, and while I wish it had been a hell of a lot better, I can't wish that it didn't exist at all (unless it not existing at all guaranteed something a great deal better would).

Yeah, Magma's kinda iffy on me, too... I never felt a particular attraction to her, I just wanted another New Mutant and she was the best fit. Well, Moonstar might have worked too, but I already privately have her slotted into my dream Thor sequel.

Still, I think my lack of Magma-love is why I changed my mind at the last minute and put in Monet instead.

As to the wiki-stuff you quoted, yeah, if true, that does sound like it's looking like "Early days of the original X-Men", which won't be at all interesting to me. I've never been _all_ that into Jean, Scott, Hank or Storm, or for that matter most of the traditional X-Men. For me it's almost alwayys been love for obscure, minor, or 'junior leagues' characters.

I'd almost certainly skip an Early-Days movie at the theatre and wait for the DVD.

[monkeykong.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Cypher, if he appeared at all would only be a background character at best, because Languages aren't Sexy.

DAMMIT YES THEY ARE

[handyhunter.livejournal.com]

It's not to do with the X-Men: First Class comic? That's what I had assumed... Sort of like an origin story of the original 5 (or 6, if you count Xavier). Although I haven't clicked on any links or anything to find out more.

[handyhunter.livejournal.com]

Er, I may also be overly invested in XMFC, which is on hiatus now. *sigh* But at least it's not cancelled yet.

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

Well, remember, this is Fox studios, the people who made the other 3 X-men movies, so one would expect, even if it was meant to be _sort_ of along the lines of the First Class comic, they'd a) be putting their own stamp on it, much like they put their own stamp on all the other characters, and b) _probably_ would be following their own continuity rather than FC's - which means Scott and Jean and _maybe_ Hank would be the only members from XMFC that might be in it.

But at this stage it's unclear what the actual premise is, just the name and that it deals with younger mutants. Everything else is just speculation.