The O.C. Meets the X-Men

Published by Jeff Leins on November 19, 2008

Josh Schwartz, creator of “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.,” is in negotiations to write X-Men: First Class for Fox.

According to the trades, the live-action movie would follow a class of teen mutants as they learn their powers at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.  Fox wants to inject a “youth-centric” and “next-gen sensibility” into the franchise that has made them $1.2 billion worldwide.

Schwartz also has the opportunity to direct, but hasn’t decided yet.  Zak Penn (The Grand) was attached to helm at one point.

Characters expected to appear are Iceman, Angel, Rogue, Professor X, Colossus, Jean Grey, and Beast, among others.  Since the movie hasn’t been written yet or a director selected, no cast members have been rumored.  They could replace all the actors who have appeared in the original X-Men trilogy with new, younger nobodies.

If it’s anything like “The O.C.” then Iceman will be a wisecracking Jewish fellow, Colossus a pensive hunk with a dark past, and Rogue an anorexic whiner who dies in a car wreck randomly.  Well, that’s what I’ve been told any way, I didn’t see the show…

X-Men won’t be entirely kid friendly moving forward.  X-Men Origins: Wolverine is out May 2009 and a Magneto movie is being prepared with his Holocaust origin story.  A Deadpool spin-off may also be on the way.