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The latest X-Men trailer is here

Big estimates have allowed Fox to turn on the green-light

We review The Merc with a Mouth's big screen adventure

The Merc with the Mouth's latest trailer comes in two versions

Your first look at Bryan Singer's latest go-round with the Children of the Atom.

A version of this trailer debuted at SDCC, but now you too can get a glimpse at what just a few thousand got to see in person a few weeks ago (unless you watched a bootleg cam recording). Debuting on tonight’s “Conan”, here’s the red-band, very R-rated, Deadpool trailer:

Just like Alexander posited a few days ago, it turns out that Channing Tatum was indeed undergoing a bit of public negotiating regarding his upcoming role in the X-Men spin-off, Gambit. Today, THR reports that the Magic Mike star has signed on the dotted line to play the kinetic card-wielding Cajun mutant. According to their […]

Per Deadline, 20th Century Fox has closed a deal on its latest X-Men franchise spin-off, as writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in our Stars) is set to co-script and direct The New Mutants. Boone will co-write the script for this new stand-alone with Knate Gwaltney (Cardboard Boxer).

Fox’s Marvel “godfather” Simon Kinberg, who will be producing The New Mutants alongside Lauren Shuler Donner, had this to say:

We’re so excited to explore this new part of the X-Men universe. And so excited to do it with Josh, who is uniquely suited to tell this story about young characters.

I’m not much of an X-Men fan, but I always remember loving The New Mutants, especially once Bill Sienkiewicz came on board with some of most gorgeously detailed art my young eyes had ever seen in a comic. Eventually the Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod created series became X-Force, which has also been rumored for the big screen treatment. It’s likely that this project may stalled that possibility for the time being.

Boone has a busy schedule of late, as he’s currently set to adapt Anne Rice‘s The Vampire Chronicles for Universal (in another attempt at jump-starting that series) and Stephen King‘s The Stand for Warner Bros. It’s likely this film will see release in 2018.

Bryan Singer keeps on popping out new mutants for his latest X-Men opus, after roping in a new Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, Jubilee and Archangel; he’s now found another one to add to the ranks as Olivia Munn (The Newsroom) will be playing Psylocke.

Excited to welcome @oliviamunn as Betsy Braddock! #Psylocke#XmenApocalypse#XMENhttps://t.co/5f42gazret

— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) April 13, 2015

This is sure to be a pick to get a number of folks excited as Munn was often a fan casting choice for superhero roles (I always thought she would make a great Wonder Woman). She’d technically be the second Psylocke to appear on the big screen, as the character appeared as a minor villain in X-Men: The Last Stand for some inexplicable reason (played by Meiling Melançon).

One has to assume that all of the more complicated elements of her character will likely be tossed aside. The important stuff: she was created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe in Captain Britain and eventually became a 90’s X-Men icon (along with Gambit, Jubilee, and the like) after she was redesigned by Claremont and Jim Lee (and also took over the body of a ninja).

X-Men: Apocalypse opens on May 27, 2016, in a year that is looking like *THE* big one for superhero films given that it comes on the heels of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in March, and Captain America: Civil War that same month.

In an image posted today on his Twitter account, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds is all suited up to reprise his old role of Wade Wilson.

This is definitely a far cry from the days of the “sewn-up mouth” Deadpool that appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I think it’s pretty safe to assume they won’t even acknowledge that such a thing even happened, unless it’s in a fun fourth-wall breaking way.

This Deadpool basically looks like the costume as it appeared in the all-CGI proof of concept footage that leaked out last Summer, and received such a rapturous reception that this retooled take on the character got a green light right away.

Here’s the official synopsis of the film, directed by Tim Miller, which releases on February 12, 2016:

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

It’s the start of another week, here’s your collection of headlines that are making some waves today:

– There was never any doubt that Jennifer Lawrence‘s future with the X-Men franchise was on borrowed time; she’s one of the world’s biggest movie stars in a part that thus far has been pretty thankless. The same could probably be said for Michael Fassbender and some of her other cast-mates, many of whom also see their contracts with Fox end after X-Men: Apocalypse. But it’s Lawrence who has made it clear that this third outing will be her last when speaking with MTV News.

Given that the attention of the franchise is shifting away from the core four of X-Men: First Class (Mystique, Charles Xavier, Magneto, and Beast) and onto the recently cast Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and Nightcrawler, Apocalypse looks to be a fairly graceful close out for the previous era.

– Gal Gadot, upon being cast as Wonder Woman in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, received a ton of unfair (and in some cases, disgusting) criticism from some segments of the online community related to her body type and physical attributes. In a recent interview translated by RobotUnderdog, Gadot addressed some of this discussion:

They said that I was too skinny and my boobs were too small. [Laughs] I’m really lucky nothing in my life was instantaneous. When I was younger I would take criticism really hard. But now it mostly amused me. The true Amazons had one boob so it won’t bother them in their archery. So it’s not going to be like real Amazons. We always try to make everyone happy but we can’t.

She also went on to describe her excitement in playing the first big screen portrayal of Diana:

Playing Wonder Women is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can’t describe to you how much I wanted to play this character without even knowing I wanted to play her. I met a lot of people from the industry in LA for meetings. They always asked me ‘what’s your dream role?’, and I never could define it. I always answered that I wanted to play a women that is strong and will be a source for women empowerment. I don’t want to play a damsel in distress that needs to be saved. I don’t like it when women in the movies are shown as the victims. I always thought that if I could send out a massage I want to show the strong side of a woman and how she can handle tough situations. Yes, I get to play the strongest most empowering woman ever – Wonder Woman. I’m so grateful and I thank god every day. I want to devour it and enjoy every bite. She has unbelievable endurance. She is exceptionally strong. she can jump really high and practically fly. She know tons of martial arts styles. She is a strong and serious Woman.

– Toss this last one into the rumor pile for now, but Badass Digest is reporting that Marvel secretly auditioned 16 year old Weeds‘ actor Mateus Ward for the role of Peter Parker. If true, it means Marvel is indeed going very young for the role and are clearly trying to recast Peter Parker rather than aiming for Miles Morales as some might have hoped. With shooting for Captain America: Civil War only about a week away, if Spider-Man is going to make some kind of appearance be it a cameo or something more substantial, they’ll need to get this role squared away fairly quickly.

Bryan Singer continues to add young mutants to his ensemble cast for X-Men: Apocalypse, which currently consists of teenage versions of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee); along with the adult-aged Professor Xavier (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence).

Now The Wrap reports that Ben Hardy (EastEnders) is in talks to join in a “key, as-yet-undisclosed role” in the 1980’s set sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past. At one point, Hardy was one of the actors in contention for Cyclops, so the fact that he would stay on Singer’s radar is a good sign.

One look at Hardy and it’s hard to imagine him playing anyone but Angel, especially given that Oscar Isaac‘s Apocalypse is the film’s antagonist. The report’s sources say that he’s been cast in an altogether different role though, so it remains to be seen.

It’s almost the end of the week, so let’s gather up a few more of today’s entertainment headlines:

– While on the press circuit promoting their new film, Focus, Will Smith and Margot Robbie discussed with USA Today the casting situation with the now-vacant Rick Flagg role in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad:

Robbie: This happens all the time. People act like, ‘Oh my god, the movie must be ending!’ It’s just the deal with movies.” Not to mention “a lot of the characters haven’t been portrayed before so it’s a pretty big undertaking. And it’s a big undertaking for the people who are going to play the characters who have been played, like the Joker (to be played by Jared Leto). It’s big shoes to fill.

Smith:  Ayer “turned the screenplay in before Christmas. What happens is Hollywood shuts down. But he was still working and he wanted to (start shooting) April 13th. So it takes a couple weeks to gear back up at the top of the year and people have taken (other) movies. He’s moving really quickly.

A few days ago, Umberto Gonzalez over at Latino-Review stated on Twitter that the Rick Flagg casting may be announced this week. We still have a day to go, so it’s possible that we may see some resolution there. I’m going to throw my money on Joel Edgerton, but it’s probably just because I just saw Zero Dark Thirty again on FX last night.

– Ryan Reynolds took to twitter today and celebrated being one year out from the release of 2016’s Deadpool, teasing fans with the mask that will be used in the upcoming film:

Sepia tone disguises the fact the mask is ballerina pink. It’s early. 365 sleeps early. #deadpool #prototypes pic.twitter.com/PekFa2KS7S

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 12, 2015

The fact that they’re even using a mask is cause for some celebration.

– It’s been some time since Sam Hamm had last been on the scene. The Tim Burton Batman, Monkeybone, and one-time Watchmen screenwriter’s most recent on-screen credit was for an episode of Masters of Horror about ten years ago. That all changes today, as Viz Entertainment has announced that Hamm will be adapting Sayuri Ueda‘s short story The Street of Fruiting Bodies, which originated in the Phantasm Japan anthology, into a feature-length film. That anthology, it’s worth noting, comes from the same imprint (Viz Media’s Haikasoru) as All You Need Is Kill, which was eventually adapted into last year’s Edge of Tomorrow.

Viz describes the story in detail:

The Street of Fruiting Bodies depicts the sudden spread of a mysterious and lethal species of hallucinogenic mushroom. The infestation is deadly, but it also offers visions of deceased loved ones to the infected, hinting at the reality of an afterlife, or at least a new kind of existence that is beyond human comprehension.

Hamm elaborates on the project:

Ueda creates a world in which the most profound human emotions – love, grief, longing, and hope – can lead to one’s salvation or one’s undoing, and the true horror is that it may be impossible to tell the difference. ‘The Street of Fruiting Bodies’ is not only disturbing, it is moving.

– Lastly, do you have $375 bucks to spare? Then you can be the owner of this pretty stunning looking Ultron Figure from Hot Toys/Sideshow Collectibles, expected to ship in early 2016.

How many superhero television shows can launch before our brains collectively X-plode? Fox is challenging our expectations by confirming the company is actively looking into making an X-Men television show a reality. TV Insider broke the news and shared quotes from Fox Entertainment Chairman, Gary Newman, who announced the info to the outlet at the Television Critics Association Press Tour. As Newman states, the show cannot debut before the upcoming 2016 – 2017 television season.

He shared the following quote:

It’s in negotiations…We’re cautiously optimistic, we had a good meeting with them. That will not be on a fast track creatively. This is just the deal, now we have to find the creative.

Does anyone else care to run down a few superhero shows entering their second and third seasons?:

Arrow

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

What about a couple comic book shows in the middle of their first season?:

The Flash

Constantine

Marvel’s Agent Carter

Gotham

Plus, just a few of the television shows currently in development or about to debut:

Supergirl

The Marvel Netflix shows (Daredevil, AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders)

Vixen

Powers

Titans

In addition, there are an assortment of X-Men films coming to the screen as well:

Deadpool (2017)

Gambit (2017)

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Long-live the failed Generation X show and every other comic book series we forgot to mention on this list. TV Insider stated that Fox still needs the blessing from Marvel, so the road to an X-Men show is going to be a long one.

We reported on this topic just a few weeks back, but now according to Variety, Bryan Singer has settled on his three younger versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm for the 1980’s set X-Men: Apocalypse.

Playing Cyclops will be Tye Sheridan, who blew my socks off in Mud and the recent David Gordon Green film Joe.

Taking on the role of Jean Grey is Sophie Turner, who you’ll probably know as Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones.

And finally, Alexandra Shipp will be the new Storm. She’s the name that’s probably the least familiar to audiences, but she recently played the late singer Aaliyah in a Lifetime biopic.

They’ll be joining a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Oscar Isaac. There’s still no word on whether or not Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine for this film, though the next James Mangold-directed Wolverine sequel is still set for 2017. If he does return, I’ll be curious to see how they handle the Wolverine-Jean relationship, given the big age gap presented now.

All the same, this is an exciting development. X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27, 2016.