X-Men (film series)
X-Men is an American superhero film series based on the fictional superhero team of the same name, who originally appeared in a series of comic books created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and published by Marvel Comics. 20th Century Fox obtained the film rights to the characters in 1994, and after numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct the first film, released in 2000, and its sequel, X2, while Brett Ratner directed .
After each film outgrossed its predecessor, several spin-off films were released, including three Wolverine films, four X-Men: Beginnings films, and two Deadpool films, with a film based on The New Mutants comics set to conclude the series.
With twelve films released, the X-Men film series is the eighth highest-grossing film series, having grossed over $6billion worldwide.
Films
''X-Men'' (2000)
The film introduces Logan and Rogue into the conflict between Professor Xavier's X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto. Magneto intends to mutate world leaders at a United Nations summit with a machine he has built to bring about acceptance of mutantkind, but he was not aware that this forced mutation will result only in their deaths.In 1993, 20th Century Fox and producer Lauren Shuler Donner bought the film rights to the X-Men. Andrew Kevin Walker was hired to write, and James Cameron expressed interest in producing. Eventually, Bryan Singer signed on to direct in July 1996. Although he was not a comic book fan, Singer was fascinated by the analogies of prejudice and discrimination that X-Men offered. John Logan, Joss Whedon, Ed Solomon, Christopher McQuarrie, and David Hayter wrote the script, with Hayter receiving sole credit. Principal photography began in September 1999 in Toronto, Canada, and ended in March 2000. The film was released on July 14, 2000.
''X2'' (2003)
Colonel William Stryker brainwashes and questions the imprisoned Magneto about Professor Xavier's mutant-locating machine, Cerebro. Stryker attacks the X-Mansion and brainwashes Xavier into locating every mutant on the planet to kill them. The X-Men must team up with the Brotherhood to prevent Stryker's worldwide genocide.Hayter and Zak Penn were hired to write their own scripts for the sequel, which Singer would pick, with an aim to release the film in December 2002. Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris were hired to re-write the script in February 2002, writing around 26 drafts and 150 on set. Principal photography began in June 2002 in Vancouver, Canada, and ended in November 2002. The film was released on May 2, 2003.
''X-Men: The Last Stand'' (2006)
A pharmaceutical company has developed a "cure" that suppresses the mutant gene, provoking controversy in the mutant community. Magneto declares war on the humans and retrieves his own weapon: Phoenix, the resurrected former X-Men member Jean Grey. A final battle between the X-Men and the Brotherhood ensues, and Wolverine must accept that in order to stop Grey, he will have to kill her.Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men story "Gifted", featuring a mutant cure, was suggested for the primary story. Matthew Vaughn came on board as director in February 2005 but left due to the rushed production schedule. Brett Ratner was later hired as director in June. Principal photography began in August 2005 in Vancouver, Canada, and ended in January 2006. The film was released on May 26, 2006.
''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009)
A prequel and a spin-off focusing on the character Wolverine and his relationship with his half-brother Victor Creed, as well as his time with Stryker's Team X, before, and shortly after his skeleton was bonded with the indestructible metal, adamantium.David Benioff was hired to write the screenplay for the spin-off film Wolverine in October 2004. Hugh Jackman became producer as well as star and worked with Benioff on the script. There were negotiations with the studio for Ratner to take the helm of the film after directing X-Men: The Last Stand, but no agreement was made. In July 2007, Gavin Hood was hired as director. Principal photography began in January 2008 in Queenstown, New Zealand, and ended in May. The film was released on May 1, 2009.
''X-Men: First Class'' (2011)
Set primarily in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film focuses on the origins of, and relationship between Charles Xavier / Professor X and Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto and their respective teams of mutants, the X-Men and the Brotherhood.Producer Lauren Shuler Donner first thought of a prequel based on the young X-Men during the production of X2, and later producer Kinberg suggested to 20th Century Fox an adaptation of the comic-book series . Singer signed on to direct the film in December 2009; however, in March 2010 it was announced that Singer would only be producing. Vaughn, who was previously attached to direct X-Men: The Last Stand, became the director and co-wrote the final script with his writing partner, Jane Goldman. The film superseded a planned X-Men Origins: Magneto film, and the Writer's Guild of America arbitration credited Magneto writer Sheldon Turner for the film's story. Principal photography began in August 2010 in London, England, and ended in December. The film was released on June 3, 2011.
''The Wolverine'' (2013)
Set after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, the film features Wolverine heading to Japan for a reunion with a soldier named Ichirō Yashida whose life he saved years before. Wolverine must defend the man's granddaughter Mariko Yashida from all manner of ninja and Yakuza assassins.Christopher McQuarrie, who went uncredited for his work on X-Men, was hired to write the screenplay in August 2009. Darren Aronofsky was chosen to direct the film but bowed out, stating the project would keep him out of the country for too long. James Mangold was later hired to direct the film. Mark Bomback was then hired to rewrite McQuarrie's script. Principal photography began in August 2012 in Sydney, Australia, and ended in November. The film was released on July 26, 2013.
''X-Men: Days of Future Past'' (2014)
Set years after the events of The Wolverine, the film features the cast of the original X-Men trilogy and X-Men: First Class. The story, inspired by Chris Claremont and John Byrne's The Uncanny X-Men comic book storyline "Days of Future Past", features Wolverine going back in time to 1973 to prevent an assassination that, if carried out, will lead to the creation of a new weapons system called the Sentinels that threatens the existence of mutants—and, potentially, all of humanity.Matthew Vaughn was attached to direct the film but left in October 2012 to focus on the film . Singer, who directed the first two X-Men films and produced X-Men: First Class, became the director of the film. The screenplay was written by Kinberg. Principal photography began in April 2013 in Montreal, Canada, and ended in August. Additional filming took place in Montreal in November 2013 and February 2014. The film was released on May 23, 2014.
''Deadpool'' (2016)
Mercenary and former Special Forces operative Wade Wilson is subjected to an experiment that leaves him with new abilities. He adopts the alter ego Deadpool to hunt down the man who nearly destroyed his life.In May 2000, Marvel Studios attempted to produce a Deadpool film as part of a distribution deal with Artisan Entertainment. However, by 2004, Marvel was developing the film with New Line Cinema. David S. Goyer was set to write and direct and courted actor Ryan Reynolds for the lead role, but lost interest within months in favor of other projects. 20th Century Fox acquired Deadpool the following year after New Line Cinema placed it in turnaround and was considering the spin-off in the development of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with Reynolds being cast for the role. After the opening weekend success of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in May 2009, Fox lent Deadpool out to writers with Donner acting as a producer. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were hired to write the script in January 2010. Robert Rodriguez was sent a draft of the screenplay the following June but did not pursue it, and Adam Berg emerged as a top contender to direct. In April 2011, visual effects specialist Tim Miller was hired to direct. Principal photography began in March 2015 in Vancouver, Canada, and ended in May. The film was released on February 12, 2016.
''X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016)
Set after X-Men: Days of Future Past, En Sabah Nur, the first mutant, awakens after thousands of years. Disillusioned with the world as he finds it, he recruits a team of mutants to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. Raven, with the help of Professor X, must lead the X-Men to stop En Sabah Nur and save mankind from destruction.In December 2013, Singer announced the upcoming X-Men film, titled X-Men: Apocalypse, a sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past. Directed by Singer from a script by Simon Kinberg, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, the film was said to focus on the origin of the mutants. Kinberg said that it would take place in 1983 and complete a trilogy that began with X-Men: First Class. Principal photography began in April 2015 in Montreal, Canada, and ended in August. The film was released on May 27, 2016, in North America.
''Logan'' (2017)
In 2029, Logan and Charles Xavier meet a young girl named Laura, a test-tube daughter of Wolverine, who is being hunted by the Reavers led by Donald Pierce.By November 2013, 20th Century Fox had begun negotiations for the treatment for a third Wolverine solo film with director James Mangold and Donner attached to produce. Mangold said that it would be inspired by other Wolverine stories from the comic books and it would be made after X-Men: Apocalypse. In March 2014, David James Kelly was hired to write the script. In April 2015, Michael Green was hired to work on the film's script. Principal photography commenced in May 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and concluded in August 2016. The film was released on March 3, 2017, and marked both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart's return as Wolverine and Xavier, respectively.
''Deadpool 2'' (2018)
After a personal tragedy, Deadpool creates the X-Force to save a young mutant from the time-traveling soldier Cable.In September 2015, Kinberg said that a sequel for Deadpool was in development. By the release of Deadpool, 20th Century Fox greenlit the film, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick returning to write, and Miller being looked at to return as director, as he was working on the script at the time. However, in October 2016, Miller left the film due to creative differences with Reynolds and was replaced by David Leitch in November as the director. In February 2017, Drew Goddard had joined as a creative consultant to work on the script with Reynolds, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Filming commenced in June 2017 in Vancouver, Canada and concluded in October. The film was released on May 18, 2018.
''Dark Phoenix'' (2019)
Set nine years after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, the X-Men are superheroes going on increasingly risky missions. When a solar flare hits Jean Grey during a rescue mission in space, she loses control of her abilities and unleashes the Phoenix.The film was announced to be in development in February 2017, with Kinberg confirmed to write and direct in June of the same year. Principal photography commenced in June 2017 in Montreal, Canada and ended in October of the same year. Additional filming occurred in August and September 2018. The film was released on June 7, 2019.
Upcoming film
''The New Mutants'' (2020)
Five mutants are discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will. They will fight to escape their past sins to save themselves.In May 2015, Josh Boone was hired to direct and write a film adaptation of The New Mutants comic-book series. Acting as a spin-off to the X-Men films, it is co-written by Knate Gwaltney, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber with Donner and Kinberg producing. Filming commenced in July 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts for an August 28, 2020 release after facing several delays.
Recurring characters
Music
Reception
Box office performance
The first three X-Men films and Deadpool set opening records in North America: X-Men had the highest July opening yet, while X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand earned the fourth-highest opening weekends yet and Deadpool got the largest opening weekend in February. The records for the first three films have since been surpassed. The next three X-Men films after X-Men: The Last Stand opened lower than their predecessor and didn't set opening records. In North America, Deadpool is the highest-grossing film in the series, and it also has the highest opening weekend. Outside North America, X-Men: Days of Future Past has the highest opening weekend and is the highest-grossing film in the series. Worldwide, Deadpool was the highest-grossing film in the series and the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, before being surpassed on both records by its sequel.The X-Men film series is the second highest-grossing film series based on Marvel Comics characters after the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In North America, it is the fifth-highest-grossing film series, having earned over $2.4billion. Worldwide, it is the seventh-highest-grossing film series of all time, having grossed over $6billion.
Critical and public response
of The Boston Globe praised the first three X-Men films as "more than a cash-guzzling wham-bang Hollywood franchise... these three movies sport philosophy, ideas, a telethon-load of causes, and a highly elastic us-versus-them allegory." Morris praised X-Men: The Last Stand for "put the heroes of a mighty summer blockbuster in a rare mortal position. Realism at this time of year? How unorthodox!" Roger Ebert gave the films mostly positive reviews, but criticized them for the amount of mutants, stating "their powers are so various and ill-matched that it's hard to keep them all on the same canvas."The first two films were highly praised due to their tone. However, when director Bryan Singer left the series, many criticized his successor, Brett Ratner. Colin Colvert of the Star Tribune felt "Singer's sensitivity to made the first two X-Men films surprisingly resonant and soulful for comic-based summer extravaganzas... Singer is adept at juggling large casts of three-dimensional characters, Ratner makes shallow, unimaginative bang-ups." James Berardinelli felt, "X-Men: The Last Stand isn't as taut or satisfying as X-Men 2, but it's better constructed and better paced than the original X-Men. The differences in quality between the three are minor, however; despite the change in directors, there seems to be a single vision." David Denby of The New Yorker praised "the liquid beauty and the poetic fantasy of Singer's work", but called Ratner's film "a crude synthesizer of comedy and action tropes." Singer's third film in the series, X-Men: Days of Future Past was also well received. Alonso Duralde of The Wrap felt that "Singer keeps things moving along briskly enough that you can just go along with the ride of Superhero Stuff without getting bogged down". Spider-Man director Sam Raimi said he was a fan of the series, particularly Singer's films. Film historian Kim Newman also tonally compared Batman Begins to Singer's films. Logan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
There was criticism of the large cast, and the limited screentime for all of them. Richard George of IGN reacted well to the depictions of Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, Jean Grey, Storm, William Stryker, Mystique, Beast and Nightcrawler; however, George thought many of the younger X-Men characters, such as Rogue, Iceman, Pyro, Angel and Kitty Pryde were "adjectiveless teenager", and was disappointed by Cyclops' characterization. He observed the filmmakers were "big fans of silent henchmen", due to the small roles of the various villainous mutants; such as Lady Deathstrike and Psylocke. While Jesse Schedeen of IGN, stated that the continuity of the films doesn't make sense with dead characters returning with zero or little explanation, different versions of the same character appearing across multiple films and plot points that are conveniently ignored in later films. He also criticized 20th Century Fox for not mapping out the series from the beginning. In his review of Dark Phoenix, Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal characterized the entire X-Men film series as being a "notoriously erratic franchise."
Legacy
Richard George of IGN stated that the success of the first X-Men film paved the way for comic-book film adaptations such as the Spider-Man series, Fantastic Four, V for Vendetta and Singer's Superman Returns. Chris Hewitt of Empire magazine called the first X-Men film as the "catalyst" for films based on Marvel Comics characters, stating "Singer's 2000 film is the catalyst for everything that's come since, good and bad. Without it, there's no Marvel Studios." Comic-book writer Mark Millar said that Singer's X-Men "revolutionized" superhero films. Rebecca Rubin of Variety magazine stated that the X-Men franchise has proven there is an audience for a hardline superhero film, while Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations said that with films like the Deadpool films and Logan, the studios can do more with an R-rated film and give the audience something new. However, Tim Grierson and Will Leitch of New York magazine's Vulture criticized the series, noting that the best films of the series failed to capture the zeitgeist the way Marvel Cinematic Universe films did.Home media
| Title | Format | Release date | Films |
| X-Men Double Pack | VHS | November 10, 2003 | X-Men, X2 |
| X-Men Collection | DVD | November 25, 2003 | X-Men, X2 |
| X-Men Trilogy | DVD | October 3, 2006 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand |
| The Ultimate Heroes Collection | DVD | October 16, 2007 | Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, X-Men |
| Marvel Heroes | DVD | May 13, 2008 | Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, , X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand |
| X-Men Trilogy | Blu-ray | April 29, 2009 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand |
| X-Men Quadrilogy | DVD, Blu-ray | October 19, 2009 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
| X-Men: The Ultimate Collection | DVD, Blu-ray | October 31, 2011 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class |
| X-Men and the Wolverine: Adamantium Collection | DVD, Blu-ray | December 3, 2013 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine |
| X-Men: The Adamantium Collection | DVD, Blu-ray | December 3, 2013 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine |
| X-Men: Experience Collection | Blu-ray | May 6, 2014 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class |
| Wolverine Double Feature | Blu-ray | October 7, 2014 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine |
| X-Men: The Cerebro Collection | Blu-ray | November 10, 2014 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past |
| X-Men Trilogy | Blu-ray | April 19, 2016 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand |
| X-Men: 2-Film Collection | Blu-ray | April 19, 2016 | X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past |
| X-Men: Beginnings Trilogy | Blu-ray | October 4, 2016 | X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse |
| X-Men Collection | Blu-ray | November 1, 2016 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse |
| X-Men Universe: 9-Film Bundle | Blu-ray | November 1, 2016 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse |
| Wolverine: 2-Movie Collection | Blu-ray | January 10, 2017 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine |
| Deadpool 1 & 2: The Complete Collection | Blu-ray | August 21, 2018 | Deadpool, Deadpool 2 |
| X-Men: 3-Film Collection | Blu-ray | September 29, 2018 | X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand |
As of May 2014, the DVD and Blu-ray sales of the first six films in the United States earned more than $620million.
Cancelled projects
In March 2019, The Walt Disney Company acquired the film rights for the X-Men after the acquisition deal of 21st Century Fox was completed. The films in development under 20th Century Fox were placed "on hold" and eventually cancelled by Disney. Any future X-Men films will be produced by Marvel Studios, with The New Mutants serving as the final film in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series. Future films based on the X-Men franchise planned by Fox before the acquisition included:- X-Men / Fantastic Four / Daredevil crossover film: In 2010, Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller were to co-write a film featuring the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Deadpool. The plot revolved around a superhero registration act, pitting various characters on opposite sides of the conflict similar to the Civil War story arc. Paul Greengrass had been approached to serve as director, though scheduling conflicts placed the project indefinitely on hold. Warren Ellis worked separately on another draft of the script.
- X-Force: In July 2013, Jeff Wadlow was hired to write and direct a film adaptation of the X-Men spin-off comic-book series X-Force. Mark Millar, the creative consultant for 20th Century Fox's Marvel Comics based films at the time, stated that the film would feature five characters as protagonists. After the release of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds said that Deadpool would appear in the film. By May 2016, Simon Kinberg was in the process of rewriting the script. In February 2017, Joe Carnahan had signed on as director, as well as a co-writer with Reynolds. By September of the same year, Drew Goddard was attached to write and direct. Rhett Reese said the film would be a R-rated take on the X-Men. Kinberg, Reynolds and Donner were later slated to serve as producers for the film. In September 2018, Kinberg said that Goddard would begin work on the script after the release of Bad Times at the El Royale.
- Gambit: In October 2014, Josh Zetumer was hired to write the screenplay for a film about the character Gambit, based on the treatment by comic-book writer Chris Claremont. In June 2015, Rupert Wyatt was then hired to direct but left in September due to schedule conflicts. In November, Doug Liman was in final negotiations to direct the film. Liman left the film in August 2016, to direct Justice League Dark. By October, Gore Verbinski had signed on as director, while Zetumer continued to work on the script. In January 2018, Verbinski departed the film due to scheduling issues. Kinberg stated that the film was intended to be the start of multiple installments focusing on Gambit, and that the final script had been completed by May 2018. By January 2019, Tatum was in early negotiations to direct the film. By March, Kinberg was revealed to be co-screenwriter. The film was set to star Channing Tatum in the lead role with Donner, Kinberg, Tatum and Reid Carolin attached as producers. In May 2019, the film was removed from the release schedule.
- The New Mutants sequels: In December 2016, Boone stated that he pitched to 20th Century Fox for a New Mutants spin-off film encompassed three films, that would build upon each other and the X-Men franchise. In October 2017, he said that there would be sequels to the film, with the first featuring Warlock and Karma, joining the team. He added that each film would explore a different style within the horror genre.
- Alpha Flight and Exiles: In February 2017, Kinberg stated that Alpha Flight and the Exiles were characters being developed for film adaptation.
- Laura: In February 2017, James Mangold stated that with the introduction of Laura Kinney in Logan, there was a possibility that the character would appear in future films. Later that month, Kinberg said that a film for the character was in development. By October of the same year, the script, tentatively titled Laura, was being co-written by Mangold and Craig Kyle.
- Multiple Man: In November 2017, a film centering around Multiple Man was in development with James Franco starring in the lead role. Allan Heinberg was attached as screenwriter, with Kinberg and Franco as producers.
- Kitty Pryde: In January 2018, Tim Miller was announced to be directing a film centered around Kitty Pryde. In February 2018, Brian Michael Bendis was hired to write the script.
- Deadpool 3: In November 2016, plans began for a third Deadpool film. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick stated the film would enter production after the untitled X-Force film, with Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin reprising their roles. Production was planned to take place in Atlanta, Georgia. After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced in December 2017 and completed in March 2019, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Deadpool would be integrated with the MCU under Disney, with Reynolds expected to reprise his role. The Once Upon a Deadpool version of Deadpool 2 was being watched carefully by Disney and Marvel Studios to see whether it might inform how they could approach the character and integrate him into the PG-13 MCU. In October 2019, Reese and Wernick said that they were waiting for approval from Marvel Studios to begin production on the third film. Reese said, " will live in the R-rated universe that we've created, and hopefully we'll be allowed to play a little bit in the MCU sandbox as well and incorporate him into that." In December 2019, Reynolds confirmed that a third Deadpool film is in development, though it will be produced by Marvel Studios and it's unknown if it would be a continuation of the first two or if it would be rebooted into the MCU.