It looks as if the X-Men franchise is going to continue its trend of time-hopping for its next instalment, X-Men: Apocalypse. While the original trilogy took place in the present day, the films have jumped around considerably since then. Origins: Wolverine went from the American Revolutionary War to the 1970s, First Class took us to 1962, The Wolverine jumped from 1945 to the present day, and Days of Future Past went from the near future to 1973. Back in March, director Bryan Singer revealed that Apocalypse would explore (and destroy) the 1980s, and we now know exactly when that will be.
Days of Future Past scribe and producer Simon Kinberg, who appeared on the latest episode of Q & A with Jeff Goldsmith, revealed that Apocalypse is set in 1983, ten years after the events of Days of Future Past. For those keeping track at home, that means that Apocalypse takes place 21 years after First Class. With younger cast members James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult all confirmed to return, will we start to see signs of aging? Perhaps it’s time for McAvoy to start losing some hair, or for Magneto to start going grey. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Hoult will probably stay relatively unchanged, thanks to the effect of their physique-altering mutations.
The most intriguing thing about Apocalypse’s time frame is that it will allow for younger versions of some staple members of the X-Men, namely Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Gambit (to be played by Channing Tatum) and possibly Nightcrawler, to enter the story. Hopefully, we’ll finally get to see these fan-favorites where they belong – under the tutelage of Xavier and honing their skills.
Additionally, the ten-year jump allows for several intriguing storytelling possibilities. How has the general opinion towards mutants changed since the events of DOFP? Has the world gotten more dangerous for mutants since the things that happened with the Sentinel program? And has Wolverine gone into the Weapon X program and received his adamantium claws?
Hopefully, all of these questions and more will be answered when X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27th, 2016.
