Final 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Trailer Features Gloom, Doom and a Familiar Face

Well, maybe it's not a familiar face, necessarily, but I could swear I've seen those claws before ...

Yes, although it seemed like Wolverine would be sidelined for Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse, it now looks like Logan will play a limited role in the Days of Future Past sequel.

The final trailer for the May 27 film arrived yesterday, giving us an expanded look at Oscar Isaac's Apocalypse, his four Horsemen (including Olivia Munn as Psylocke and Alexandra Shipp as Storm) and the young X-Men roster led by Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence).

As is normally the case with Fox's X-Men flicks, you can pretty much take everything you know about the Marvel Universe and chuck it out the window when you sit down to watch the ninth film in this franchise (assuming, of course, that your theater has windows). Still, like First Class and Days of Future Past before it, Apocalypse looks like one hell of a ride. Watch the trailer below.

Review: 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (or 'How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Magneto')

When it comes to nerdy movie franchises, there are few that are more synonymous with the words "missed opportunity" than Fox's X-Men series. Abandoned by Bryan Singer after he helmed the groundbreaking 2000 original film and its 2003 sequel — both of which were instrumental in establishing Marvel characters as bonafide movie stars —the series has ranged from mediocre (X-Men: The Last Stand) to abhorrent (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) to just plain passable (The Wolverine).

The only X-flick that captured the spark that made Singer's films so memorable was Matthew Vaughn's 2011 prequel X-Men: First Class, a movie that breathed new life into the aging franchise while introducing a host of all-new continuity errors. Although you might say the muddled timelines and overall inconsistencies make the films more true to the source material, it's not necessarily an aspect of oft-confounding comic book storytelling we want in our movie adaptations.

In an effort to make sense of it all and fix a franchise that's been broken for about eight years now, Singer returned to the X-Men series as director with Days of Future Past, a loose adaptation of Chris Claremont and John Byrne's iconic time-traveling comic book storyline of the same name. The film replaces comic protagonist Kitty Pryde with the movie franchise's poster boy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who must journey to the past to save mutantkind from extinction.

One of the big draws in this installment is that it includes the cast from the original X-Men trilogy, including credibility magnets Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan as Professor Xavier and Magneto, as well as that of First Class, namely the always impressive James McAvoy as young Xavier and the never-not-badass Michael Fassbender as the burgeoning Master of Magnetism. Central to the story this time around is Jennifer Lawrence's azure-skinned femme fatale Mystique, whose hatred for mankind sets into motion events that give rise to the Sentinels — government-sanctioned robots programmed to detain and eradicate "dangerous" mutants. How many Academy Award winners have done that?

Newcomers to the series include Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage as Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask and American Horror Story's Evan Peters as Quicksilver, a character responsible for one of the coolest moments in the film. Dinklage's Trask, meanwhile, makes for a powerful-yet-understated villain who fully believes he is acting in the best interest of humanity. Whether it's Trask or Magneto who is truly the antagonist of Days of Future Past is entirely up to you.

The first question that fans might have going into Days of Future Past is whether or not Singer has "fixed" the frustratingly inconsistent X-Men movies. For the most part, he has. If you wondered why we saw a non-furry Hank McCoy on a TV screen in X2, even though Beast's mutation happened in the 1960s, there's a reason for that. Hell, the same explanation could also apply to Xavier's ability to walk at the beginning of The Last Stand, which was years after his paralysis. However, rather than tie up every possible loose end — like how Peter Dinklage and Bill Duke somehow play the same character in the same franchise — Days of Future Past gives us perhaps an even greater gift: a reset button.

Without trekking too deep into spoiler territory, the film essentially wipes all of the middling X-Men movies out of existence. Sorry, Origins and The Last Stand. You never happened. Now, the doors are wide open for filmmakers to tell X-Men stories unhindered by the misguided decisions of previous writers and directors.

But all that canon whitewashing wouldn't mean much if Days of Future Past wasn't an amazing experience in its own right, and it absolutely delivers on that front. Once you get past the inherent wonkiness of the time travel (which is always a bit messy), what you have is a solid X-Men film featuring big action, some outstanding visuals and a dynamic ensemble cast. For the first time, Fox's X-Men series is poised to stand toe-to-toe with Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that's saying something. X-Men: Apocalypse can't come soon enough.

Bryan Singer Drops Huge 'X-Men' News on Twitter

X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters next summer, but director Bryan Singer is already hinting at where he’ll take Marvel’s mutants in the next installment of the franchise.

On Thursday, Singer tweeted the following:

#Xmen #Apocalypse 2016!
— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) December 5, 2013

Whether or not this means we’re getting some sort of “Age of Apocalypse” adaptation in 2016, it’s clear we’re finally going to see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and the rest of the movie-verse X-Men tangle with one of their greatest, nigh-invincible nemeses. Who will play the everliving mutant adversary? Let the speculation commence!

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Might Be Awesome

Bryan Singer’s forthcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past doesn’t exactly follow Chris Claremont’s popular 1980 storyline of the same name — Wolverine steps in for Kitty Pryde as the body-swapping time-traveler in the film — but are we really expecting these X-Men movies to be faithful at this point? Enjoy the new trailer, which is pretty spectacular despite its noticeable lack of Sentinels. Make with the giant purple robots, Fox!

Movie Review: Did Wolverine Get His Claws Back?

Following the dismal X-Men: The Last Stand and the facepalm-worthy X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it’s easy to forget that the film franchise starring Xavier’s gifted youngsters is the reason why superheroes have become summer box-office mainstays. Had Bryan Singer’s X-Men tanked in 2000, we wouldn’t have seen Spider-Man two years later, nor would Marvel Studios had the opportunity to bring Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the rest of The Avengers to the silver screen. The last movie memory of Batman might have involved molded rubber nipples.

Over 13 years, we’ve seen the X-Men franchise soar (with Singer’s outstanding X2: X-Men United), plummet (Brett Rattner’s maligned third film), bump its head (X-Men Origins) and regain its footing (Matthew Vaughn’s refreshing X-Men: First Class). That spotty track record is likely why this summer’s The Wolverine arrived with far less geek fanfare than other recent superhero flicks like Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel.

The experience no doubt enhanced by the all-powerful force known as lowered expectations, I’m happy to say that The Wolverine lives up to the standard of the Singer entries in the series, and is certainly the best film that includes a computer-animated urinating bear in the first act. I wonder if that’ll be an Oscars category this year.

Loosely (and I do mean loosely) based on the iconic Wolverine mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank MIller, The Wolverine catches us up with Logan (the always game Hugh Jackman), who is haunted by the memory of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), the woman he loved and was forced to kill at the end of The Last Stand. Leaving the X-Men team and living a solitary life in the woods, Logan is found by pint-sized ass-kicker Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who beckons the cantankerous clawed Canadian to Tokyo to visit the bedside of dying businessman Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi). You see, years ago in a Japanese POW camp near Nagasaki, Logan saved young Yashida from the infamous nuclear explosion. Yashida has a final request for Logan, which might in turn give the invincible warrior the peace he has sought for many lifetimes.

A trip to The Land of the Rising Son puts Logan in the middle of a sinister plot by the Yakuza to eliminate Yashida’s granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto). Ever the hero, Logan takes it upon himself to protect her, because he’s the best at what he does, but … well, you know the rest.

In an apologetic departure from the type of lifeless filmmaking that made X-Men Origins: Wolverine a frustrating mess, director James Mangold brings to life an excellent examination of Logan as a character, giving vulnerability and pathos to a superhero that could become boring in the wrong hands (for example, those attached to the wrists of X-Men Origins director Gavin Hood). We come for the slicing and dicing, sure. But it’s also important for us to feel the pain of a soldier who, thanks to his mutant healing ability, has outlived everyone he cares about. Between energetic fight sequences — including an exhilarating battle atop a speeding bullet train — Mangold isn’t afraid of slowing things down to explore Logan’s human side, pulled closer to the surface by a burgeoning relationship with Mariko.

If The Wolverine is missing anything, it’s compelling villains. Aside from The Silver Samurai, a character that is more or less shoehorned into the final act, we get The Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), a venomous, serpentine mutant with a set of powers that seems to expand whenever the story demands it. There’s also a slew of forgettable evil businessmen and ninjas, whose sole purpose seems to be getting dispatched by Wolverine in a suitably PG-13 manner. Granted, this movie demands faceless claw fodder, but an intriguing main antagonist would have made the third act far more focused.

In the end, The Wolverine is a worthy follow-up to X-Men: First Class, and gives fans a reason to remain hopeful for next summer’s Days of Future Past. Oh, and speaking of that upcoming X-Men sequel, be sure to stick around through the credits, bub.

A 'Pivotal Meeting' to Take Place in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' Plus Jennifer Lawrence Bares All

With all of the buzz surrounding Warner Bros.’ The Man of Steel and Marvel Studios’ upcoming releases, it’s easy to forget that Twentieth Century Fox is chugging along with its X-Men franchise. Later this summer we get The Wolverine — an apologetic sequel to the dismal X-Men Origins: Wolverine — and next year we get Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Singer’s return to the franchise, loosely based on the timeline-jumping comic book story arc of the same name, serves as a bridge between X-Men: First Class and the original trilogy.

In other words, the film intends rectify a muddied chronology. That’s X-Men for ya.

Earlier today, Bryan Singer tweeted out a photo from the set of the sequel, hinting at a “pivotal meeting” in the Oval Office involving Richard Nixon. I’m not a betting man, but I’m guessing the meeting could have something to do with the growing mutant menace. Fingers crossed for Sentinels, Nixon-style!

In related Days of Future Past news, Jennifer Lawrence was recently spotted exiting her trailer in her Mystique body suit and blue makeup, and although I can’t post the photos here, I would be doing you all a disservice if I didn’t point you in the right direction. Get an eyeful over at TMZ.

Bryan Singer Talks ‘X-Men: First Class’ Sequel

To be honest, I went into Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class expecting a trainwreck on the same level as X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Yeah, I’d heard the positive early reviews, but I had a really difficult time convincing myself that Fox had somehow turned this creatively troubled franchise around with a crowded prequel set during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Thankfully, Vaughn kinda nailed it, largely thanks to superb casting. James McAvoy played a great young Professor X, while Michael Fassbender’s Magneto is always interesting to watch. January Jones strutting around in lingerie as Emma Frost doesn’t’ hurt the film either.

Seeing as how Fox’s X-Men series just got a lot better, I was pleased to learn that Bryan Singer—who directed the first two films and produced First Class—is already talking about a sequel that will similarly involve real historical events.

“I don’t know if every movie has to be a history lesson. But there’s a lot of history to cover. If we sequelized this, it could inhabit a whole world of the 20th century,” Singer told the Los Angeles Times. “When [First Class] happened, Kennedy had not been assassinated and the Vietnam War hadn’t happened yet.”

He continued, “What’s really interesting about the ‘60s setting is the civil rights movement.”

This would be an interesting direction for a First Class sequel, especially given the prevalent theme of tolerance and coexistence in the X-Men mythology.

For the full Times story, click here.

Bryan Singer Reveals 'X-Men: First Class' Details

Call me a cynic, but I just haven’t been able to muster up any real excitement about Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class recently. Yes, based on what we saw with Kick-Ass, Vaughn is a capable director when it comes to comic book adaptations. And, yes, the fact that X-Men and X2: X-Men United director Bryan Singer is returning to produce the forthcoming prequel inspires some confidence. But let’s be honest: half of the X-Men movies have been utter garbage (X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and if we look back at the original two films, they haven’t aged as well as we might have hoped. So why should we, comic book nerds, really care about a prequel film in a franchise that we only kinda, sorta care about in 2010?

Well, Singer himself recently gave a few reasons for us to start paying attention when he called Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles. Here are a few of the details Singer touched on:

• The film takes place in the 1960s, grounding it firmly in the civil rights movement.
• We’ll get to see Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) with hair, before he is bound to a wheelchair. Both he and his eventual nemesis Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) will be in their late 20s.
• January Jones and Kevin Bacon are playing Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, meaning that the Hellfire Club will play a major role in the film.
• X-Men: First Class will have an “international” feel, giving it what Knowles describes as a “James Bond vibe.”
• The costumes will be “far more comic bookish.” Does that mean Cyclops, Jean Grey and co. will be donning the old-school blue and yellow tights? Stay tuned, True Believers.

X-Men: First Class starts filming on August 31. For the full story, click here.

Bryan Singer to Direct X-Men: First Class

Last week, Bryan Singer announced he would be returning to the X-Men franchise with X-Men: First Class, a move met with nods of approval from the geek community. While not without its flaws, Singer’s original X-Men helped to once again legitimize comic-to-film adaptations when it hit theaters in 2000, after Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin utterly destroyed the genre three years earlier. Singer’s X2: X-Men United, released in 2003, remains one of the best superhero films ever released. Unfortunately, Singer later abandoned the franchise to lesser directors, leaving us with the lackluster X-Men: The Last Stand and the downright sloppy X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Singer said that his return to the franchise came about during a recent conversation with Fox co-chairman Tom Rothman. “We not only concluded a deal, but I’ve got a pretty concise treatment,” Singer said. “There’s a story that I really want to tell.”

While he would not reveal the specifics of that story, he said “it’s basically about the formation of the X-Men. How they began and the relationship between a young Xavier and a young Magneto.”

As fans probably know, a Magneto prequel was thought to be in the planning stages alongside another Wolverine film and a Deadpool spinoff. However, it seems like First Class will incorporate elements that would have appeared in the Magneto film.

“This story would probably utilize some of the Magneto story because it deals with a young Magneto, so it might supersede that because this would explore that relationship between a young energetic professor and a disenfranchised victim of the Holocaust,” explained Singer.

But with all of these prequels and spinoffs, is the X-Men franchise spreading itself a bit thin? Singer doesn’t think so.

“The X-Men universe is boundless,” he said. “These are great characters. And as young characters, they are quite different than the characters we have seen in the contemporary movies.”