X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (Update)

• X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Last week, it was reported that Matthew Vaughn had stepped down from X-Men: Days of Future Past and original X-Men director Bryan Singer would be returning behind the camera for the film.

Bryan Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner

Long before this was announced, the target start date for the film was set to be January of 2013, but it appears that might have changed. The Geek Files is reporting that the film will begin principal photography in April of 2013. However, it must be noted that this would not change the films July 2014 release date.

This week, fans got a bit of an exciting announcement by Singer, as he took Twitter and tweeted:

"Well here goes. Beginning full prep on Xmen Days of Future Past. Very excited!"

This was followed by this tweet Friday afternoon: "Scout went well. Looks like Montreal it is."

Days of Future Past will certainly be the X-Men’s event film, similar to how the Avengers were the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s event film. So taking that in mind, starting pre-production this early on a film like this certainly does make sense as this is something far bigger and ambitious than any other X-Men film to date.

As for the April 2013 production start date that was reported by Geek Files, we can only assume that, all that is rumor at this moment, as the studio confirmed nothing as yet.

Scheduled for release on July 18, 2014, X-Men: Days of Future Past boasts a script by Simon Kinberg and is said to be inspired Chris Claremont and John Byrne's comic book storyline that ran in Uncanny X-Men #141 and 142 back in 1981. "Days of Future Past" introduced the idea of an alternate future for Marvel's mutants that grew out of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants killing an important senator, leading to a future where Sentinels hunt all mutants.

Singer produced First Class alongside Vaughn who directed, with the duo switching roles for this film, as Vaughn looks to produce alongside Singer who will direct as well.

In other X-Men related news, Mark Millar, Fox’s superhero consultant for all there comic book properties recently spoke about The Wolverine, as he explains just exactly what this film will mean for the future of the X-Men franchise.

Jean Grey and Wolverine

In a interview with CBR Millar explained that The Wolverine, currently shooting in Australia for a release next summer, is Fox’s Iron Man in a sense that it’ll represent the beginning to their long-term plans going forward.

“I didn’t work on ‘The Wolverine’ in a direct sense. There were about two months of ‘Wolverine’ shooting done when I got this job, but I’ve got a couple of ideas from it. The only guy I don’t really know yet is James Mangold, and I wasn’t involved in that screenplay — though I read it and loved it. But the thing is, I felt like ’Iron Man’ was really the beginning of something for the Marvel Studios movies, and ‘The Wolverine’ will be a similar starting point to build a lot off of for the Fox movies.”

We know that Famke Janssen who plays Jean Grey in the X-Men films, recently travelled to Australia as its rumoured she might have a cameo of sorts in the Wolverine film.

 I’m wondering if maybe, just maybe, we will see a post credit scene similar to the Nick Fury post credit scene in Iron Man, just that this time we will have Jean approaching Wolverine and have it be the first big teaser to what’s in store for Days Of Future Past.