X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (2016): A Video Q & A On X-Men, Future & Past

Simon Kinberg interview on DOFP, Apocalypse & the impact on Fox‘s mutant franchise. If X-Men: First Class & The Wolverine made for an upswing, in the fortunes of Fox’s X-Men properties, and Days of Future Past has cleaned the slate, some, then together, they have certainly justified a continuation of the franchise. The logical question then becomes, just how do the powers that be actually go forward, from this point, what form does the future of the franchise take, and how does it re-shape the franchise’s past. Enter franchise writer/ producer, Simon Kinberg, for a video interview to field just such questions.

In the video, Kinberg covers most of the familiar concerns. Yes, some of the more… controversial elements of X-Men: The Last Stand, such as the deaths of Jean Grey & Scott Summers, have been prevented – as have elements of Origins: Wolverine; no, Nightcrawler has not been erased; yes, Patrick Stewart plays future Xavier, after Stewart’s present Xavier was killed – but the end tag to Last Stand already explained that one (supposedly); yes, having the original film’s characters in the 80s setting of Apocalypse will require recasting of those characters; and yes, they did have a good reason for not making more use of Quicksilver, and cutting Rogue, altogether.

He also addresses some of the finer point questions, that have come about due to the time travel element’s effect on the franchise timeline. For starters, the official timeline is as follows: First Class, the 70s setting of DOFP, Origins: Wolverine, X1 through 3 (Last Stand), The Wolverine, the future setting of DOFP. Over concerns borne of this revised timeline, Kinberg suggests that Logan did still go through the Weapon X process – but the specific event details would have been different (*cough* remake *cough*). There are no plans to revisit the new mutants of DOFP (Blink, Bishop, etc.), nor the new mutants of the first trilogy (Iceman, Shadow Cat, Colossus, etc.), as Apocalypse is set in the 1980s, and serves as the conclusion of the trilogy that began with First Class. Some consideration has gone into introducing some fan favorites, however, who were missed, along the way. Squeezed out of DOFP, for pretty much the same reasons as Rogue, were Psylocke & Scarlet Witch (the latter receiving a brief cameo, regardless); both now likely to appear in Apocalypse. The obvious inclusion, of course, would be the mutant Cable; but Kinberg is understandably cautious about any character confirmations, going forward.

Gotta have Cable, man. Get Stephen Lang, and get it done.

Given the amount of ground he had to cover, and the… shall we say, temperament, of the fans that brought him to this interview, I don’t doubt his expressed reluctance, at the prospect of tackling any more temporal paradox projects. With works like The Last Stand, and Origins: Wolverine, effectively collapsing the tracks under my speeding roller coaster, I am loving the do-over opportunities of a good paradox-ing. As long as they don’t go full Claremont, and make a real mess, I say let the stream shatter & piece together the good bits.

Watch the Simon Kinberg interview, and leave your thoughts below, in the comments section. For more X-Men: Apocalypse news, photos, and video, visit our X-Men: Apocalypse Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook. X-Men: Apocalypse is currently set for a May 27, 2016 release.