X-Men and Deadpool Updates from Producer

Published by Jeff Leins on October 19, 2009

Empire Magazine had the chance to sit down with X-Men producer Lauren Shuler-Donner about the upcoming origin stories, prequels, and spin-offs coming from Marvel’s mutant world.

Shuler-Donner confirms Hugh Jackman will be headed to Japan to shoot on location for X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2, or whatever the title will eventually be.  The comic book storyline centers on the clawed mutant falling for Mariko Yashida, the heiress to the Yakuza crime family.

“Wolverine will be fighting in a different style to what we’ve seen before,” she said, indicating a battle between him and Mariko’s father, Shingen Yashida.  It will involve “samurai, ninja, katana blades, different forms of martial arts — mano-a-mano, extreme fighting.” This plot also suggests a possible showdown with mutant supervillain Silver Samurai, but maybe I’m just stretching it.  After all, who doesn’t want to see mutant ninjas?

The producer also spoke about X-Men: First Class, the Fox reboot that will show the beginnings of Professor Xavier’s school of mutant mastery.  Josh Schwartz, creator of “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.,” is still writing the script.

“We want it to be like the recent, darker [Harry] Potters. It should not be a kiddie movie: we’re in the X-Men world so you can’t suddenly change the tone,” Shuler-Donner said.  That’s a classic Hollywood move.  When in doubt, just compare your film to a slightly similar, yet popular series.

No filmmaker is attached to First Class yet, but X-Men and X2 director Bryan Singer has been rumored for the job.

Finally, Shuler-Donner addressed concerns about the planned Deadpool spin-off.  Comic book fans have been scratching their head since Ryan Reynolds was cast as both the “merc with a mouth” and Green Lantern.  “I don’t see it as a problem that Ryan [Reynolds] is also playing Green Lantern,” she said before invoking Harrison Ford’s dual franchises.  I like Reynolds and all, but he’s no Harrison Ford…

Ok, but what about the absolutely ridiculous version of Deadpool in the Wolverine movie?  “I want to ignore the version of Deadpool that we saw in Wolverine and just start over again. Reboot it. Because this guy talks, obviously, and to muzzle him would be insane,” Shuler-Donner said.  Well, that’s good news but what was the point of introducing Deadpool (sort of), bastardizing his character, and then starting over again?

Fox is in the process of talking to writers, so the movie is clearly not ready to move ahead any time soon.  In the meantime, WB’s Green Lantern movie is casting and preparing for a shoot within the next few months.

What do you think of the three X-Men related movies so far?  Any interest in any of them?