A Geeky Viewpoint

So yesterday thanks to the posting of Josh Boone, director for the forthcoming X-Men: New Mutants film, I posted a quick update.   The posting wasn't five minutes old when I got the first email asking about other things happening at 20th Century Fox.   So here goes.

20th Century Fox has announced the following release dates:

Films that have been strongly rumored or suggested in the works by Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler-Donner (The Producers of the X-Men films):

What we know: the Untitled Wolverine Sequel is to be set in the future and will be an adaptation of the Old-Man Logan story arc.       The movie began shooting either last week or this week depending on your source.

What is rumored: the casting call list two character descriptions that sound a lot like Daken and X-23.   Daken is the Wolverine's son, whose mother Itse was murdered by the Winter Soldier in the Comics.   X-23, aka Laura Kinney, is the first and only successful clone of Wolverine, however to be viable the male Y-Chromosome was replaced with an X Chromosome, so X-23 is a female clone.   I hope I got that right.



Notice the four claws.

There are some interesting possibilities here some of which I will talk about later.   Hugh Jackman has suggested that this will be his last appearance as the main character Logan/Wolverine.  He has said that before and is making this film and an appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse since that time.  So I am not totally convinced he is hanging up the claws, especially after  a posting on twitter in October.

The next thing that strikes me is two potential replacements, Laura Kinney is the current Wolverine in the comic books and Daken has taken up his father title more than once.   So it is possible that 20th Century Fox is looking at what comes next, especially with a film like X-Men: New Mutants on the way.  With strong female leads the rage in Hollywood today I would not be shocked that may be what happening.

I don't expect X-Men: New Mutants to be released on July 13th 2018, The Ant-Man and Wasp comes out the week before and Aquaman the following week, something has to give.   Because of that I am suggesting X-Men: New Mutants will be released in August 10, but that isn't the only time slot available, just the closest one.  

Given scheduling and times I have an inkling X-Men: The Dark Phoenix will fall back a year from 2018 to 2019.  

If 20th Century Fox moves ahead with either Mystique or X-Force project this is where dates could change.  I will point out no tentpole films are scheduled for memorial Day weekend for either 2018 or 2019 yet.    It is possible New Mutants could be pushed forward to May 25 2018, and the other project fall towards the end of 2018, October 19th for example but today I have a hard time seeing either moving forward without other changes.

The White Elephant sitting in the room that no one wants to talk about today.  

With the release of the 2015 Fantastic Four Film 20th Century Fox has until midsummer 2019 to set another Fantastic Four film into a production status.    With as big of financial failure as the 2015 film was the sequel has been removed from the release schedule.   Potato Potahto, it means it was canceled and 20th Century Fox had to eat any committed salaries and guaranteed contracts.   I have written extensively about the issue including this post last year. 

 

The obvious solution to this problem is either give the license back to Marvel or work with Marvel in the same way Sony has for Spider-Man.   This unfortunately requires that everyone at 20th Century Fox who is involved with Fantastic Four agrees they are at the end of the rope, which they don't.   It is a process known as Escalation of Commitment, i.e. throwing good money after bad.   

Several sources are suggesting that 20th Century Fox could make a backdoor reboot of the series using a Silver Surfer film.   Now don't get me wrong I think this is a better idea than an Aunt May spy thriller, but I am not sure it will work either.  

The Josh Trank bomb has backed 20th Century Fox into a corner and even though many think this will be a drawn out fight, I don't

 

Marvel TV studios is working with Fox on two TV series, Hellfire and Legion, neither of which could happen without an agreement between the two companies.  

If we hope in the way back machine to 2001 you'd find a lawsuit between these two companies, the behemoth 20th Century Fox sued Marvel and everyone thought 20th Century Fox was going to take the struggling company out behind the woodshed so to speak when the case was filed.   Funny thing happened, even though 95% of these cases are settled and another 4.9% are won be the litigant, 20th Century Fox in this case, Marvel won the lawsuit, not some little victory, a crushing knock it out of the stadium grand slam in the bottom of the ninth kind of victory.   The result of that victory Marvel Studios controls virtually its entire IP for Television, Radio and every other possibility that is not on the big screen.   Simply put Hellfire and Legion required Isaac Perlmutter's approval, CEO of Marvel Entertainment.   

I should point out Marvel Studios (Kevin Feige) no longer report to Issac Perlmutter, but Marvel Television Studios (Jeph Loeb) does.  

 

More to Come.