Is There 8 Minutes Of R-Rated Test Footage For Deadpool?

There hasn't been much development concerning Fox's reboot of the character Wade Wilson better known as Deadpool. BleedingCool picked up creator Rob Liefelf stating he may have seen some R-rated test footage Fox could have shot. If this is indeed true it could mean that the studio could be finally figuring out when/how they will shoot. Fox seemed to have been mulling over what to do with the Merc-With-A-Mouth as the script written by the dynamic duo of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, G.I. Joe 2) is clearly for an R-rated movie. There seemed to be some hesitation to pursue that type of rating considering all five X-Men universe films have been PG-13 money makers. X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shulder Donner recently spoke on the subject and even sounded like she was championing decision to go with an R rating. If this does happen this will be Fox's first R-rated Marvel film.

While rating isn't everything these days since Christopher Nolan was able to give us a down and dirty Batman film with the Dark Knight even if it was PG-13. Some might say the censors turned a blind-eye to a few scenes. However, when it comes to Deadpool the mercenary character needs to live in a hostile environment which he contributes to with a massive body count. He's also mentally unstable and unpredictable so explicit language is necessity. Here's hoping Fox comes to their senses and moves forward with this film soon. At one point it looked like Ryan Reynolds was going to walk from the project. Luckily, Green Lantern bombed and it doesn't look like that sequel will sweep him away.

"They’ve got a great director on the movie, they’ve got a great script. I may or may have not seen some sort of test of footage that would blow your mind if you saw it and go holy crap and that’s Deadpool in costume. Katana swords, guns, shooting people’s faces off and making me laugh. And I may or may not have seen something that looks just like that. And you’ve got what would amount to the first R Rated X-Men movie. Because that script is R Rated. 


 They may or may not have wanted to shoot eight minutes to see how it would play. And all I can tell you, it’s close. It’s closer that it’s even been to going, or going Naaah, that’s too scary a proposition to make a R Rated Deadpool movie.”

Jane Goldman Talks X-Men First Class Sequel

The wheels are in motion for the sequel to X-Men First Class. Fox's Tom Rothman has confirmed the progress and screenwriter Simon Kenberg (Sherlock Holmes) has been hired to write a draft for the second film. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy are expected to return as the conflicted best friends along with other supporting cast members. Writer/director Matthew Vaughn's involvement has been mentioned but hasn't been announced by the studio. However, Vaughn has shared ideas of an opening scene featuring Magneto for the sequel.

First Class co-writer Jane Goldman told MTV that she would be 100% on board for the sequel. That's of course if Matthew Vaughn returns and asks for her help. The story goes Vaughn and Goldman completely re-wrote the previous drafts of the first installment. It would make sense that if Vaughn returns to direct he'd rely on his writing partner to help put together another solid script. It's unknown when we could see First Class 2 hit theaters but I assume Fox is eager to move quickly. Fox currently has The Wolverine and Deadpool currently in development as well.

"James and Michael brought so much to them that I think it's entirely natural to be talking about where those characters would go next. It was inherent in their stories and their arcs. There are so many interesting places to go."


 "In terms of what's going on with that, again from my point of view, it's down to what Matthew [Vaughn] decides to do. If he decides he wants to direct the next one and if he wants me on board, I'm 100 percent there."

Marvel Unwilling To Create Any New X-Men Characters Because Of Fox?

Ever since Marvel Studios started making their own films and subsequently bought by Disney there seems to be tension between between Marvel and other rights holders. Rob Liefeld in an extensive  interview with WordBallon points out that Marvel hasn't created any new X-Men characters and it's not based on laziness. The comic book writer/creator is responsible for giving birth to Cable, Deadpool, Domino, Feral and X-Force. So when he talks X-Men he does have insider information. He's also been in active talks with 20th Century Fox over the Deadpool movie and possibly adding Cable to the X-Men films. 

Liefeld states Marvel/Disney isn't in the business of creating characters only to hand them over to 20th Century Fox for new additions to their films. Currently the studio holds the film rights to all the characters in the X-Men universe (hero and villains) which is an extensive group. I'm not sure if that also means that Fox gains rights to new characters as they are introduced in the comics. It's further pointed out that Marvel holds the toy rights to X-Men First Class but didn't release any over the summer when it was released. Since they would have competed with Captain America and Thor toys which Marvel gets a bigger profit from. He's pointing out Marvel is undercutting Fox's growth of their X-Men franchise where they can.

My take is that Marvel is smart by not helping Fox by handing over new characters bound by an old rights deal. They could feel the deal was unfair since it was drawn up during Marvel's financial troubles during the 90's and might not have predicted the future of the company. Hopefully there will be a way to wiggle the film rights back to Marvel other than cutting a billion dollar cheque which Rob suggests. I feel when the studio uses up all the villains they'll end up selling the rights back. The X-Men universe doesn't have a lot of film-friendly villains which must be annoying for Fox.

Simon Kinberg Writing Sequel To X-Men First Class

It didn't take long for the name of screenwriter of the X-Men First Class sequel to be revealed. Jason Flemyng had just stated 20th Century Fox was developing a script for the sequel. However, there was no official word from the studio or Matthew Vaughn.

SuperHeroHype now reports that Simon Kinberg is currently writing First Class 2. Kinberg's writing credits includes X3, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. And Mrs. Smith, This Means War and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He's also producing Neill Blomkamp's next science fiction epic Elysium. There is no word if original screenwriters Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz will be contributing. It's assumed if director Matthew Vaughn returns he and writing partner Jane Goldman would do their own re-writes.

The Wolverine Gets Rewrites & Viper Gets Bigger Role

The production for The Wolverine has seen some bumps in the road. First, director Darren Aronofsky who was originally going to helm the film jumped ship. Not too far after the terrible tragedy that effected most of Japan where most of the shooting was expected to take place. James Mangold (Knight & Day, Walk The Line) took the directing gig and there has been some progress even with the fall shoot being bumped until the spring.

Variety reports that Christopher McQuarrie's script is going see rewrites from Mark Bomback (Total Recall, Live Free & Die Hard). Bomback also did rewrites for Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Killer another script that McQuarrie worked on. They also say that the role of Viper has been expanded which is likely to be another of the film's villains as she was an ally of Silver Samurai in the comics. Viper is also known as the Captain America villain Madame Hydra so it will be interesting to see Fox's take on the character.

James Mangold Will Direct The Wolverine

20th Century Fox has finally chosen a director to replace Darren Aronofsky. Deadline reports that James Mangold (Walk The Line) has nabbed the director's chair and will start production on The Wolverine in the fall. Hopefully this means that the studio still plans on shooting on location in Japan.

Mangold wasn't my favorite choice out of the recent group of candidates but he isn't a bad one either. He's no stranger to action films with his previous work on 3:10 To Yuma and Knight & Day. He does have a visual edge to his movies so with a solid script from Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) I have no doubt he can improve on the last Wolverine film. It's expected that The Wolverine will be it's own film ignoring the events of X-Men: Wolverine Origins. More than anything focusing on the raw source material that Frank Miller wrote.

Duncan Jones Confirms Talks With Fox To Direct Wolverine

AICN has confirmation from a source that during a Source Code question and answer period the young director confirms talks with the studio to helm The Wolverine. Duncan gave the impression he'd rather make another one of his original science fiction films but took the meeting to weigh his options and to be polite. Currently there are conflicting reports on when The Wolverine will start production. I've heard the film could start shooting as early as July but some trades have mentioned November. They could be confused as the projected release date has been aimed at November 2012.

Jones is having trouble financing his science fiction thriller Mute. Which is set in a futuristic Berlin when a mute bartender's girlfriend is kidnapped. I would assume that if he made a deal with Fox they could end up financing Mute in return for his directing services on The Wolverine. Fox made a similar deal with Darren Aronofsky that I expect is still valid even though he's left Wolverine. A deal with Fox Searchlight could be a great career move for Jones as he would be able to make his original films with the backing of a studio who appreciates independent filmmakers.

Duncan Jones Could Direct The Wolverine

Deadline has a new report that Universal has offered the Huntsman role to Hugh Jackman in Snow White & The Huntsman. The only catch would be that he'd have to choose to do this over The Wolverine. I wouldn't be shocked this being a tactic by Jackman to light a fire under the seat of 20th Century Fox who have yet to pick a director to replace Darren Aronofsky. The article mentions that the studio is currently looking at Duncan Jones (Source Code) and David Slade (30 Days of Night.

Slade seems like a reasonable choice as he was in the initial group of directing candidates but has since been attached to Daredevil. I'm curious to see if he drops Daredevil to focus on The Wolverine which would take up a considerable amount of his time with the projected November 2012 release date. While David has been tagged for directing a Twilight film he's made some awesome films such as Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night. I didn't care for the look of the vampires in 30 Days of Night but it seemed like a faithful film to the comics which should ease reservations of X-Men fans.

Duncan Jones on the other hand might be as creditable as Aronofsky. Jackman previous stated they would be looking at directors similar to Aronofsky. Jones seems like the most applicable to Darren with auteur sensibilities while being able to work on a grand scale with a limited budget. His first film Moon was a stellar homage to work of Ridley Scott but being it's on monster and a great addition to the science fiction genre. Duncan isn't new to being offered big studio genre projects. He previous was in talks for the Superman and Judge Dredd reboots. Along with being a fan favorite to take over directing duties from Jon Favreau on Iron Man 3. Jones has been trying hard to get his speechless thriller Mute made and I'm sure there could be a possibility Fox would fund the film if he directs The Wolverine. I'd personally take Jones over Slade only because I've felt his films have a stronger emotional connection which would be needed for the dramatic script written by Christopher McQuarrie (Jack The Giant Killer, Usual Suspects)

Lauren Shulder Donner Talks Deadpool, Will Be Faithful R-Rated Comedy & Renyolds Still In

X-Men producer Lauren Shulder Donner also talked to Empire about their spin-off Deadpool. She confirms that they are currently looking for a director. Also the film is an R-rated comedy that will be a complete reboot and could take shots at the fan-hated version seen in Wolverine. This confirms previous statements made by Daredevil director David Slade that Fox was looking for comedy directors to make Deadpool. Lauren gives the impression that the studio is willing to wait for Ryan Reynolds and he's very involved with the film's script.

"We're looking for a director, yes. He’s very involved, Ryan. He’s working with the writers on the screenplay and it is as much as it is ours....mindful of Reynolds' ever-growing logjam of work, added that the film would shoot in the next year or so."

"We’re either going to pretend that didn’t happen or mock it, which he could. It’s insane, it’s definitely comedy, but it’s an R script, it’s really irreverent and violent. Right away, we’re out of the X-Men world...I'm tellin' ya, it's true to the comic. You’ll see all of them. You’ll see Wade Wilson, the good-looking Ryan Reynolds! You’ll see Deadpool in his costume and you’ll see the cancer-scarred face."

Lauren Shulder Donner Confirms Treatments For X4 & X5

It looks like 20th Century Fox is pushing their X-Men franchise into high gear. As producer Lauren Shulder Donner confirms to Empire that the studio loved their treatment for X4 and X5. Giving the impression the two films are connected as they lead into each other and would likely be a package deal.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Bryan Singer return for another shot at the X-Men franchise. He's already been talking up returning and previously had regrets for not doing X3/First Class. If Singer does come on board I wouldn't be shocked to see X4 and X5 shot back to back as it would be a . It would make sense for Fox to wait until both Bryan Singer and Hugh Jackman are finished with their other projects. The earliest production could start seems like late summer or fall of next year. Currently there isn't an announced writer working on either film's script.

Bryan Singer Hints Again At First Class Sequel

In a recent interview with HeroComplex producer Bryan Singer quickly mentions the possibility of more X-Men First Class films. It's been mentioned before that Singer wouldn't direct a sequel and stated First Class was very much Matthew Vaughn's thing. This time Singer gives the impression Cyclops was not included in the first film but could be in the second one.

This also raises the question will Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) be playing Scott Summers? He had been rumored for the role but the character ultimately didn't make the film because of conflicting timelines. Also since Cyclops is such a popular character he would have been overshadowed by Magneto since this film mostly focuses on him. If they set the next film in the 70's or early 80's it could be a little more believable and we could also see the return of Jean Grey.

Stephen Lang Talks Cable

ScreenRant was able to talk with actor Stephen Lang (Avatar, Conan, Public Enemies) at the New York Comic-Con about fans wanting him to play the X-Men's Cable. Interesting enough he knows about the rumor and seems up for it if offered.

“One of boys mentioned to me – he says, ‘Hey pops, they’re talking about you for Cable,’ and I said ‘Who would that be?’ and so he Googled him for me and I saw him and I thought ‘Oh wow, he’s cool.’"

“Yes, I’m there. [Laughter] Sure, why not. I’d be happy to. You read it all, everything that comes across. And if it makes sense, if it’s a cool character, if it’s a theme you want to explore…sure.”

There had been talk that 20th Century Fox wanted to use Cable in future films.Yet it doesn't seem like he'll be in Deadpool, X-Men First Class or even Wolverine 2. I have to assume their plans involve a solo film. Lang is apart of the biggest film of all time and it just happened to be from Fox. If we were ever going to see Stephen Lang kick-ass in his own film Cable would be it. New Mutants is one film that Fox is trying to develop and Cable was it's leader. It just depends if they want to make another X-Men clone or something more in the realm of a futuristic science fiction superhero film.

What Kind of Movie Should New Mutants/X-Force Be?

Now that X-Men First Class is starting up production and Wolverine 2 set to shoot in the winter. There is still one more promised X-Men project that hasn't begun serious development and that would be New Mutants/X-Force. First Class is opening up doors with it's 6o's set Bond style. So why not try to make X-Force an 80's style action film? While I do enjoy the original films and I'm now beyond excited for First Class due in part to Matthew Vaughn's involvement and it's amazing cast. I think moving away from the dry teen drama we saw in original films could help move the story and action to a better place. It could be interesting to see the studio take a grittier direction with their characters.

DIRECTORS:


While Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) is the only confirmed/hired director at the moment. The fact 20 Century Fox is in talks with both Robert Rodriguez for Deadpool and David Slade (Hard Candy) for Wolverine 2, the next X-Men film could get another great director. My dream would be to see Zack Snyder direct since he was once attached for Wolverine but left to focus on other films. After watching the trailer for Sucker Punch he can make anything visually convincing so it could help the chances of use finally seeing the Sentinels in action. Considering Snyder's work relationship with Warner Bros. I think it might be difficult for another studio to hire him. He also is currently working on Xerxes which could be his next movie. Daniel Espinosa (Snabba Cash) is an interesting new director he was considered to direct First Class. I think Daniel is another great choice if Fox can get him since he is also in high demand to direct other projects.





STORYLINES:


I'm not that knowledgeable on the history of the X-Force but the majority of new issues seem to be better suited for film than the originals. What I'd like to see is Cable forming a side special-ops unit of the X-Men and is setup for rescues and liberation of captured mutants. It could make for the best use of the Sentinel saga along with the mutant work camps. I could live without Wolverine in the film but it would be nice to see him if only as a supporting character. It's difficult to say if we'll ever see Laura Kinney (X-23) in the films but this could be the right one for her. Just as long as they skip over the cloning it could work.


The other interesting aspect is crossovers. Deadpool is now an active member of the X-Force and could be featured or cameo in the movie. With Ryan's workload it seems unlikely there will be room for a Deadpool sequel anytime soon. A small role in X-Force could keep fans happy if Deadpool is successful. I'd also love to see the lineup involve known characters like Psylocke, Archangel, Domino, Majik, Warpath and Boom Boom.


CASTING THOUGHTS:


Stephen Lang (Avatar) as Nathan Summers (Cable)


Rebecca Hall (The Town, Prestige) as Elisabeth Braddock (Psylocke)


Cillian Murphy (Inception) as Archangel


Maggie Siff (Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy) as Neena Thurman (Domino)


Rudy Youngblood (Apocalypto) as James Proudstar (Warpath)


Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass) as Laura Kinney (X-23)


Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim) as Tabitha Smith (Boom Boom)


Beau Garrett (Tron Legacy) as Illyana Rasputin (Magik)

RUMOR: Fox Developing Their Own Marvel Film Universe?

There is talk circling Twitter today (via Poni_Boy from CBM) that 20th Century Fox is considering their own Marvel film universe. This could mean that in future films we could see the X-Men/X-Force/Deadpool interacting with Daredevil, Elektra, Silver Surfer or the Fantastic Four. It would make sense since they are somewhat rebooting the X-Men franchise with First Class. There are also planned reboots of both Daredevil and Fantastic Four. Even Deadpool will get a complete character reboot in the upcoming spin-off. I'd like to think somehow Bryan Singer could be involved in creative/consulting/producing role with these projects to tie them together. The studio is flush with money from Avatar and could take a shot similar to what both Marvel Studios and possibly DC Entertainment are attempting with their own superhero universes.

Vincenzo Natali Wants To Make Alpha Flight

Splice director Vincenzo Natali talked to MTV and revealed another comic series he'd like to take on eventually. Considering the rights issues with Swamp Thing have put the project on hold we don't know what he'll be up to next. He mentions Alpha Flight, a group of Canadian mutants who work for Department H an agency within the Canadian government. The X-Men spin-off isn't what you call a fan favorite but it would be interesting to see the Canadian spin on the superhero genre, excluding Scott Pilgrim of course. What's interesting is that unlike X-Men First Class it would make sense for Wolverine to make a cameo or even be featured in the film. Considering Logan was once a member of Alpha Flight before joining the X-Men. I'm sure 20th Century Fox is frothing from the mouth with the thought of another film that could lure Hugh Jackman's Wolverine into the mix.

"I have thought about that a little bit," said Natali in regards to the possibility of making a lower-budget movie about lesser-known comic characters. "I'll put this out there: maybe Alpha Flight. I thought that would be interesting, to give a little Canadian angle on the superhero mythology. It's an interesting group and it had a lot of different members, so you can take it in a number of different directions. I think it would be cool."

X-Men Cartoon Wallpapers

Wolverine

X-Man Wolverine