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EW’s Hollywood Insider reports that James McAvoy (WANTED) has been cast as Charles Xaiver (Professor X) in 20th Century Fox’s X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.
The 30-ish actor will play a younger version of the MARVEL Comics character, as the film is described by Fox as charting “the epic beginning of the X-MEN saga.”
“Before Charles Xavier [...]

Director Matthew Vaughn
According to The Hollywood Reporter Matthew Vaughn (KICK-ASS, STARDUST) has finally, after lots of back-and-forth, signed on to direct superhero origins tale, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. Vaughn has been rumoured to be circling the project for the last couple of weeks but has now sealed the deal with the studio, who are hoping [...]

The Los Angeles Times has posted a lengthy sit down interview with director Bryan Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner, in which they discuss the possibility of Singer’s return to the X-MEN film franchise. Singer directed X-MEN and X-MEN 2, which helped jump-start the current wave of comic-book-to-film adaptations and established Marvel Comics characters (Spider-Man, [...]

Hugh Jackman dons the adamantium claws once again for this prequel revealing the back story of Wolverine, but even his considerable charisma and thespian skills are no match for an ill-conceived scenario that buries its intended emotional resonances beneath an avalanche of typical action-movie antics, and then further aggravates the situation by tossing in a [...]

Over at USA Today, Scott Bowles points out that Summer 2009 is loaded with blockbusters that feature origin stories. The motivations for this a fairly clear: Hollywood likes familiar franchises, but audiences are getting tired of sequels rehashing the same old plots. Prequels allow filmmakers to fill in the back story; more than that, an [...]

Science fiction and fantasy films had launched the summer box office season to a great start thanks to STAR TREK and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, but this weekend they were passed up by the debut of ANGELS & DEMONS, director Ron Howard’s sequel to his 2006 blockbuster. Not to worry: both TREK and WOLVERINE posted strong [...]

This week, science fiction, fantasy and horror DVDs are dominated by theatrical releases; that is to say, the opening of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE this weekend and the upcoming debut of the new STAR TREK film have inspired some cash-in-while-we-can home video releases. This include a Blu-ray version of the first season of the original STAR [...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: The thing about home video is it’s like some kind of all-powerful voodoo spell that continually resurrects old titles, bringing them back from the grave with all the inevitability of Amando de Ossorio’s Knights Templar saddling up for another night-time ride in pursuit of sacrificial victims. In this case the fateful event prompting [...]

Despite the pre-release concern among fans (due to RUSH HOUR’s Brett Ratner taking over as director) and a slightly diminished critical response, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND turns out to be a pretty decent summer flick. It has a more interesting premise than its predecessors (involving a cure — possibly involuntarily) for mutants, and the action [...]

This is a slightly disappointing sequel to the first X-MEN movie, which helped revive Hollywood interest in adapting comic books into big-budget productions. The same seriousness of intent is plainly visible, as everyone involved strives mightily to make a comic book movie that is much more than just a comic book movie. To a large [...]

This multi-million dollar, star-studded movie adaptation of the Marvel comic book characters is a solid entertainment even for filmgoers who know nothing about the X-Men. Unlike many summer blockbusters in general (and comic book adaptations in particular) actually shows some thoughtful signs of intelligence instead of wallowing solely in visual effects and mind-numbing action. Yes, [...]

This news sounded suspect, having first broken on April 1, but since it has been reported by both  the BBC and CNN, I think we can trust it. Apparently, a work pint version of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE – which does not open in the U.S. till May 1 – has been leaked to online file sharing websites. [...]

[ May 1, 2009; ]  Hugh Jackman is back with the adamantium claws in this prequel revealing the back story of Wolverine. Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, and Dominic Monaghan co-star for director Gavin Hood, working from a script by David Benioff, based on the Marvel comic book character. 20th Century Fox releases on May 1.