Though the film is still a few weeks away from release, it’s no secret that X-Men: Apocalypse is a bit of a letdown. Critics haven’t been too kind to it, and early buzz is mediocre at best. So, in order to get the franchise back on track, 20th Century Fox is going to have to do something different for the next instalment. And what better way to shake things up then by sending our favorite mutants into space?
While making the press rounds to promote his new film, director Bryan Singer teased that the next entry might just explore the more cosmic side of the X-Men universe, stating that he’d definitely be interested in heading in that direction somewhere down the road.
“Another thing that’s been introduced in the comics is a big alien, interstellar tenant within the X-Men universe that hasn’t been explored. And to me, that might be kind of fun because I’m a huge Star Wars and Star Trek fan, and exploring the X-Men universe and being able to utilize that would be exciting, visually.”
Of course, one of the more well-known X-Men storylines that involves space would be “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” which revolves heavily around Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force. It’s a famous arc and one that a lot of fans really love, so bringing it to the big screen could make sense.
Besides, we’ve already seen elements of it sprinkled throughout previous X-Men films. Granted, they weren’t handled very well, but that’s all the more reason for Singer to do it justice with a future instalment.
“If I’m going to be involved in a significant way, it has to be something different. Visually different and aesthetically different,” said the director.
If you’ve seen X-Men: Apocalypse, you’ll know that there’s a pretty heavy focus on Jean in the film, so perhaps the studio is slowly building up to a possible adaptation of the famed storyline, or at least planting some seeds in case they do decide to go down that route.
Either way, 20th Century Fox does need to do something significant to keep the films feeling fresh. First Class and Days of Future Past were great, but X-Men: Apocalypse is certainly a middling affair and ultimately, a bit of a disappointment.
