Simon Kinberg participated in a pretty lengthy Q&A on
UK Yahoo in anticipation of
X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is available on VOD this week before its
Blu-ray release October 14th. In it, he teases some of the new characters that may be introduced in
X-Men: Apocalypse. He also addresses some of the continuity issues raised by
X-Men: Days of Future Past, including how Wolevrine will eventually gets his adamantium claws, and whether or not Mystique is still the mother of Nightcrawler.
First, lets look at some of the new characters that might be brought into this installment of the Marvel mutant franchise, which include fan favorites Scarlet Witch, Cable and Psylocke.
Psylocke, who appears in a very small part in X-Men: The Last Stand, was originally supposed to appear in
X-Men: Days of Future Past, but
Simon Kinberg explains that they just couldn't make it happen:
"She's a fan favorite, and also a favorite of mine. We have a small part that she plays in X-Men: The Last Stand, and we talked about including her in
X-Men: Days of Future Past quite seriously actually. There was a version of the script she was in and we even auditioned some actors in Montreal. But we didn't feel there was enough of a part she would play in a movie that was already full of many, many mutants. She has a cool power. I know Bryan Singer thinks she's a neat character so there's certainly a chance she'll be in an 'X-Men' movie some day. Hopefully there'll be a lot of 'X-Men' movies and there's lot of mutants we're yet to fully explore onscreen, even if they've had cameos before. Now we're making more films there's a chance to dig deeper."
Also on the roster of possibilities is Scarlet Witch, who will be making her first big screen appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron as played by Elizabeth Olsen. As many know, Marvel Studios, Disney and 20th Century Fox all have rights to use the character in their respective series, something they've already done with Quicksilver, who was a definite favorite in
X-Men: Days of Future Past. Will Scarlet join her brother in X-Men: Apocalypse?
"When we made
X-Men: Days of Future Past there is a reference to her in the scene when they're at Quicksilver's house, but we ended up pulling it out because like a lot of things it had to be sacrificed for the main momentum of the film. It's a character we all love, because everyone loves Quicksilver so much. The more we can do to explore his family, the better. So maybe."
Finally we come to Cable, who has a very obsessive fan base. He might make it to the big screen in 2016 as well.
"We also talked about including him in
X-Men: Days of Future Past. I will say, we love the character, we'd love to find a place for him in these movies, but I cannot confirm or deny which characters will actually be in X-Men: Apocalypse until I read some spoilers!"
Characters that definitely won't be in the movie include those Mutants seen in the future portion of
X-Men: Days of Future Past.
"X-Men: Apocalypse really follows the stories of the X-Men: First Class mutants, so in future X-Men films, perhaps, but in X-Men: Apocalypse, it'll really be the younger generations."
The same goes for most of the original trilogy mutants:
"I'm entirely focused on X-Men: Apocalypse and hopefully the best film in the franchise [but] it would be lovely to work with the original actors again. Perhaps, but right now it's all X-Men: Apocalypse."
Simon Kinberg goes onto address some of the continuity issues fans have had a problem with ever since
X-Men: Days of Future Past hit the big screen. The biggest question left hanging in the air is whether or not Wolverine will get his adamantium claws in this new timeline:
"We don't see it because he doesn't pop his claws at the end of the movie [but like with elements of the story] perhaps how he got his claws is different. But he lands ultimately in the same destination."
That seems to indicate his path will still lead to his body being laced with the indestructible metal. But what about Nightcrawler? Is he still the son of Azazel and Mystique?
"Since Azazel was killed, does this mean that Mystique gave birth to Nightcrawler in the time between X-Men: First Class and
X-Men: Days of Future Past? All I will say is that ten years transpired between X-Men: First Class and
X-Men: Days of Future Past, so anything is possible. She's a young woman in her 20s going on 30s... and I will leave it at that."
Next comes the question of whether or not Magneto is still the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, here in the X-Men universe? In Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron, Magneto is not legally able to be included or mentioned.
"It is a fascinating relationship. Erik grew up without a family, it's such a huge part of him, of his mission. So the idea of exploring what it means for Magneto to be a father and reconnect with a son many years after his birth, is fascinating and certainly something that would be interesting to explore in future films."
What about Charles and Magneto's relationship in X-Men: Apocalypse? Are they now friends in this timeline?
"At the end of the movie [Magneto] flies away without his helmet, with the implication that he'll go off and continue to be Magneto in some form, but not be able to hide it from Charles, who'll be able to read his mind and track him. There's a truce of some kind between Charles and Magneto, but there's a part of Magneto that will always be the Magneto we know from the comics."
to check out the full 17-minute Q&A session with Simon Kinberg.
