SPOILER ALERT: This article contains mild spoilers for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ so proceed with caution.
20th Century Fox’s ‘X-Men’ franchise may be at a bit of a crossroads. ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ seems to serve as a nice bookend to the longest running modern super hero movie franchise. But earlier this year, Fox scored the biggest hit in the brand’s history, ‘Deadpool’ which turned the concept on its head. The fact that ‘Deadpool’ was made for a shoestring budget makes the outcome even sweeter. Meanwhile, ‘Apocalypse’, which had a budget of $178 million, was plagued with negative reviews and had one of the weakest openings in the series.
It may be time for a reboot and if ‘Deadpool’ is any indication, maybe focusing on individual characters may be the best path for the studio.
Next year, Hugh Jackman makes his final appearance in ‘Wolverine III’ but after that? ‘Apocalypse’ director Bryan Singer has one suggestion as to which mutant should get their own spotlight film.
While appearing on the Empire podcast, Singer said:
“People have asked if I’d do a stand-alone [movie about Mystique]. I think she’s right… She has that view of the world.”
In an earlier statement, writer Simon Kinberg expressed:
“I love what Jen Lawrence has done with Mystique, and I feel like because she is in such a crowded ensemble, there’s so much more opportunity if you were to follow her solo.”
It could be argued that Jennifer Lawrence‘s Mystique already had her spotlight film and that ‘Apocalypse’ was it. But there could be even more to explore, especially if Fox plans to carry on making films in this continuity, since Mystique is inexplicably leading the X-Men at the end of this movie but is squarely a villain in the first ‘X-Men’ movie which is considered to still be in continuity after the reality warping events of ‘Days of Future Past’. Her descent into darkness could make for an interesting film.
The question becomes, would Lawrence even want to do it? It doesn’t seem likely. She has openly expressed her dislike of the makeup process of turning her into the blue scaly shapeshifter. For ‘Days of Future Past’, she insisted that a bodysuit be crafted so that she wouldn’t have to undergo the full body-painting process she did in ‘First Class’ and that Rebecca Romijn underwent in all three of her ‘X-Men’ films.
And if you’ve seen ‘Apocalypse’, you know that Mystique was only blue for about ten minutes and spent the majority of her screen time looking like… well, Jennifer Lawrence.
But Lawrence earlier stated:
“I am dying to come back. I love these movies, I love being in them. I love ensemble movies because it’s not on anyone’s shoulders.”
She may be “dying” to return, but what if it’s not in an ensemble? Would she be as keen on the idea?
What do you think? Would you like to see Mystique in a solo film? If so, do you want to see Lawrence back in the role, or would you prefer someone new?
Source: Cinema Blend