Showing posts with label X-Men Origins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X-Men Origins. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

X-Men Origins: Magneto

In December 2004, 20th Century Fox hired screenwriter Sheldon Turner to draft a spin-off X-Men film, and he chose to write Magneto, pitching it as "The Pianist meets X-Men."In April 2007, David S. Goyer was hired to direct. Turner said the script was set from 1939 to 1955, and it follows Magneto trying to survive in Auschwitz. He meets Xavier, a young soldier, during the liberation of the camp. He hunts down the Nazi war criminals who tortured him, and this lust for vengeance turns him and Xavier into enemies.
In May 2006, Ian McKellen said he would reprise the role using the computer-generated facelift applied to him in the prologue of X-Men: The Last Stand.Lauren Shuler Donner stated that the film would need McKellen to anchor the story, which would take place in flashbacks. With Goyer's hiring in 2007, it was said actors in their twenties would play the characters.McKellen reiterated his hope to open and close the film in July 2008.
The film was planned to shoot in Australia for a 2009 release, but it was delayed by the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike.In April 2008, concept art, including one of a younger Beast, was being designed. In June 2008 the X-Men Origins prefix also applied to Wolverine was confirmed, and the project was seeking approval to film in Washington, D.C.By December 2008, Goyer said filming would begin if Wolverine was successful. The story was moved forward to 1962, and involves Xavier and Magneto battling a villain.
Ian McKellen confirmed that he would not be reprising his role as Magneto, citing his age as a barrier.In 2009, X-Men's producer Lauren Shuler Donner stated that the movie may never be made. Donner also said that "the studio has a wealth of potential stories, and they have to stand back and decide which ones to make. And Magneto, I think, is at the back of the queue. Maybe it'll get made in five years – who knows?" Both Donner and Bryan Singer have stated that Magneto will probably not be produced, as the plot of X-Men: First Class "supersedes" the story of the planned film.

Friday, February 18, 2011

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was directed by Gavin Hood and again stars Jackman as Wolverine. It is a prequel focusing on the character and his time with Team X, before and shortly after his skeleton was bonded with the indestructible metal adamantium. The film reveals Victor Creed/Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) to be his half brother. David Benioff began writing the film in October 2004, and unlike the other films it was shot in Australia and New Zealand. The film also introduces Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) to the franchise.
It's the fourth installment in the X-Men series, it was released worldwide on May 1, 2009. The film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Hugh Jackman as the title character, along with Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Will.i.am, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, Daniel Henney, and Ryan Reynolds. The film acts as a prequel to the X-Men film series, focusing on the violent past of the mutant Wolverine and his relationship with his half-brother Victor Creed. The plot also details Wolverine's early encounters with Major William Stryker, his time with Team X, and the bonding of Wolverine's skeleton with the indestructible metal adamantium during the Weapon X program.
The film was mostly shot in Australia and New Zealand, with Canada also serving as a location. Production and post-production was troubled, with conflicts arising between director Hood and Fox's executives, and an unfinished workprint being leaked in the internet one month before the film's debut. Reviews for X-Men Origins: Wolverine were mixed, with critics considering the film and its screenplay uninspired, but praising Hugh Jackman's performance. It opened at the top of the box office, and has grossed $179 million in the United States and Canada and over $373 million worldwide.