Ain’t It
Cool News, claim to have details of the first 58 pages of the
current draft of the script, as doctored by Joss Whedon.
An inside whisper...Famke as Jean Grey?
Cinescape Insider , who have a reputation for reliability, say that they
have confirmed with an inside source that Famke Janssen will play gifted
psychic Jean ‘Marvel Girl’ Grey.
Apparently the role is only a
supporting one, with her speaking on behalf of mutant-kind before the
United States Congress. She also attracts the attentions of a certain
short-arsed Canadian in dire need of a manicure, to the annoyance of
Cyclops. - SFX Website, August 1999
X-Men Casting
British Actor Dougray Scott signs on the dotted line as Wolverine.
It's official - Dougray Scott is to play Wolvering in the up-coming
X-Men film. Not only that, but his contract has a sequel option,
should the franchise continue. Many others were rumoured to be up for
the role at one point or other, including Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe,
but apparently it was Scott's dynamism that won director Bryan Singer
over. "Bryan was incredibly demanding over who could play the character
and we needed to find someone who was dynamic. Dougray has the charisma,
the physicality and the intensity," Fox president Tom Rothman said of the
Twin Town star.
Scott joins the confirmed line-up of Patrick Stewart as Professor X,
giant grappler Tyler Mane as Sabretooth, and thesp Ian McKellen as the
megalomaniac Magneto. Mane got the job in a not dissimilar manner to Ray
"Darth Maul" Park. "They were originally calling me for some of the stunts
and they saw my look and saw I was the only one for Sabretooth," he said.
McKellen was introduced to his role in a slightly different way:
"Needless to say, Ian wasn't a huge X-Men fan before this, but I
showed him the costume he would be wearing and it was a done deal,"
joked Singer.
Other names that have been connected to the project, but not confirmed
are Laura Bertram, She's All That star Rachel Leigh Cook, and
SFX cover-girl Sarah Michelle Gellar as Rogue; and Luke "Home Fries"
Wilson as Cyclops. Casting will be finalised by the end of June, and
shooting begins September 13th. That date should now be stable, since
the threatened actor's strike in Canada has been averted thanks to a
tentative labour agreement having been reached. - SFX 54, August 1999
McKellen is Magneto
The first contract for The X-Men movie is now inked. Following
last month's rumour-flurry of mutant-inclined casting whispers, Ian
McKellen has just signed to portray Magneto, arch nemesis of Professor
Xavier's dysfunctional superheroes.
Magneto's villainy began in the very first issue of The X-Men in
1962. Originally a man called Magnus, his experience convinced him that
the only way mutantdom could live in harmony with humanity was through
complete subjugation.
"Villains often have a one-dimensional agenda," says Singer, "economic
gain, world domination etc. In the case of Magneto, his intentions for
mutant kind are inherently good. However, they say the road to disaster
can be paved with good intentions. In his case, he takes his agenda, his
view of the mutant kind's place in the world too selfishly. That's what
makes him a villain. He's not necessarily an evil man. His family was
killed in the holocaust and he has a lot of resentment toward mankind
in general."
Although no other thesps have signed for 20th Century Fox's mutant
flick, a casting call has recently circulated for the following comic
book faves:
[Cut Casting Call. See 'The Cast']
Intriguingly there's no mention of Professor X and Wolverine in the casting
call, suggesting these pivotal roles have already been filled... Oooh,
that'll be Patrick and Keanu, then... - SFX 53, July 1999
Magnetic Personalities
Sir Ian McKellen is to be reunited with Apt Pupil director Bryan
Singer to play the main villain, Magneto, in the long-awaited X-Men
movie.
After rumours of McKellen's involvement, confirmation came mid-May,
and although no other casting was announced at the time of going to press,
filming is due to being in Toronto in August so expect an explosion of news
soon. Ironically, McKellen played an ex-Nazi in Apt Pupil, while
Magneto's origins - according to the comic books - arise from mistreatment
by the Nazis during WWII. - Starburst 251, July 1999
X-Men Ups Babe Factor
In other news of popular franchises, Fox's attempt to bring Marvel's
long-running X-Men comic to the silver screen has been given a
quantum babe boost, according to Variety. Former beauty queen
Halle Berry and erstwhile swimsuit pinup Rebecca Romijn-Stamos have
been added to the cast.
Berry will play Storm, the X-Man whose special power is her mastery of
weather; Romijn-Stamos has been inked to join the bad-guy team as
blue-skinned Mystique, whose talent for shape-shifting is her
supervillain calling card. Romijn-Stamos is relatively new to
moviemaking, though she did log a cameo in Austin Powers: The Spy
Who Shagged Me. Berry, on the other hand, has been acting for
several years and has done a variety of films, ranging from the
pumped-up Kurt Russell actioner Executive Decision to
Warren Beatty's outrageously hip political satire Bulworth.
The cast of The X-Men, slated to begin filming in September
with Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil) at the
helm, already includes Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen
(Magneto), Dougray Scott (Wolverine), and Anna Paquin (Rogue). - Mr Showbiz News, July 1
Casting Call...
The cast of X-Men would be well-advised to take a few hints
from the Oscar-winning addition to the roster. Anna Paquin, who earned
her Best Supporting Actress award for The Piano, has agreed to
play Rogue, a high schooler whose psychic abilities allow her to absorb
the powers of those she interacts with, Variety reports. She
joins Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Dougray Scott as the flick's
top-billed stars. - Mr Showbiz News, June 20
Casting Call: Dougray Scott
Fans of Marvel's X-Men have been voicing concern in the past
few weeks that someone like — oh, horror — Mel Gibson
would be tapped to play Wolverine, the series' ferocious mutant hero.
Well, breathe easy, young'uns — Variety reports that
Dougray Scott has not only signed on for the lead, but also has agreed
to a sequel option.
Fox president Tom Rothman says that director Bryan Singer "was
incredibly demanding over who could play the character, and we needed
to find somebody who was dynamic. Dougray has the charisma, the
physicality, and the intensity."
The 34-year-old studly Scottish actor was a relative unknown before
last year's Ever After: A Cinderella Story, which featured his
Prince Henry to Drew Barrymore's Danielle. He'll be seen next as the
villain in Mission: Impossible 2, facing off against
Tom Cruise.
Although Scott isn't a well-established commodity, he does have Fox's
confidence, and the star power of cast mates Ian McKellen, who plays
the villain Magneto, and Patrick Stewart, cast as leader of the X-Men.
To keep the budget manageable, the rest of the cast will consist of
newcomers.
Filming is expected to begin in September, as soon as Scott wraps work
on Mission. - Mr Showbiz News, June 15
Slasher Movie: The Price Is Wrong For The X-Men
As all of Hollywood seemingly scramble for a role in the X-Men
movie, 20th Century Fox have declared that the budget for Bryan Singer's
big screen mutant opus has been slashed from $100 million to a more modest
$65 million, purging "expensive stunts and effects" from the script. "I
hear every day that we are not to go a penny over budget," producer
Lauren Shuler Donner told The Wall Street Journal. "Years ago
there would have been much more leeway."
The decimated budget may well impact on the film's casting decisions.
Fox will probably shy away from high profile, high price thesps. If the
mutant troupe are to be spun off into a profitable franchise, multiple
picture contracts will need to be signed, with fees kept managably low.
The studio has already dismissed reports that Arnold Schwarzenegger is
playing armoured bolshevik Colossus, claiming that the character is no
longer even in the script.
Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves has revealed that he has met with Bryan Singer
with a view to bringing a slacker dude spin to Wolverine. "I'd love to
play Wolverine," said the Matrix star, outing himself as an unashamed
comics fanboy of long standing. "The graphics and the dialogue and the
charactre appeal to me."
But hold the protest letters, X-philes - it seems Reeves has a firmer
grip on reality than may at first appear. "I'm not really sure if I'm
the right one for it. I mean, I love The X-Men, but the older
comics, the classic ones. I don't think I'm going to be right. I'd
like to, but I'm not sure I can."
Reeves is set to film football comedy The Replacements in the
late summer, which would in any case clash with The X-Men's
projected start date of July.
Eric Mabius, star of forthcoming third Crow flick The Crow:
Salvation, is also angling to play one of Professor Xavier's
gifted youngsters. "When I was a kid, the two comic books I used to read
were Daredevil and X-Men. X-Men was cool. When
films gave people superpowers, it's too easy for them, and it doesn't
ring true. That's what I likeabout The X-Men, the problems of being
outcasts and misfits. It's thinly veiled adolescence."
Freddie Prinze Jr is also rumoured to be up for Wolverine, now that
Russel Crowe seems to have passed on the role. Apparently the
character - described in the current casting call memo as "a loner
with a volatile remper, yet capable of tenderness and empathy with
women" - was too similar to Crowe's character in LA Confidential.
While Swingers star Vince Vaughan remains under consideration
for playing Cyclops, Oscar nominated Edward Norton has also entered the
frame for the eye-blasting hero. And Tyler Mane is a possibility for
the shaggy giant Sabertooth. He may be unknown, but at 6' 10" that's
hardly a consideration...
