USA Today has published an update on the various “X-Men” spinoffs in the works, including Wolverine, Magneto, one on the kids and another on Emma Frost. The newspaper’s scoop:
The first spinoff will be Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. His character has an as-yet-unrevealed back story in which researchers replaced his original bones with a metal skeleton. Jackman has signed on to star and co-produce, and X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner says it will likely head into production next year.
“We’ve also talked about doing something on the kids in (Professor X’s) school, focusing on their lives, and less of a global adventure for the team,” says Hutch Parker, production president of 20th Century Fox.
The studio is also exploring a movie with Three Kings director David O. Russell based on the character of Emma Frost, a sexy mutant telepath who can transform her skin into diamonds. She is an X-Men comics regular but was not featured in the movies.
Another likely solo project: Magneto, also in the script phase. The film will focus on his youthful pre-villain days, Shuler Donner says.
Though it would require a younger actor for those sequences, she says the film would need Ian McKellen to anchor the flashbacks. “What’s a Magneto movie without Ian?” she asks.
We’ll be following all the projects closely.
Source: USA Today
