Singer: "Ideas For An X-Men/Fantastic Four Crossover Are In Play"

It's never enough for a lot of comic book fans to see through to the end of a franchise. Once they love something, they prefer it stick around, which is natural with regard to the respective comic book universes of Marvel properties, X-Men and Fantastic Four.

Both franchises have film slates of their own at Twentieth Century Fox with the latter reformatting for another go-around on August 7 by director Josh Trank, while former remains steady with its next installment, X-Men: Apocalypse, prepping for its theatrical run on May 27 next year. Franchise principal helmer Bryan Singer is directing the film following last year's X-Men: Days Of Future Past which is getting a special extended "Rogue Cut" edition this summer, and it just so happens he was on hand to discuss that briefly with Yahoo (via Variety) in lieu of its release.

Amid a series of questions, however, one inquiry pertained to the possibility of a crossover between both aforemention movie franchises, to which Singer brought some interesting optimism. "There are those ideas in play,... “That would be a natural match-up because they’re both ensemble films and there is a mechanism by which to do it.” said the director.  “We have to see how the films turn out — how this film turns out, how ‘Fantastic Four’ plays, to really understand what kind of desire and how that would really work. I think to just say you’re gonna do it is a mistake, you have to see how the films evolve before you make the decision to completely commit to that.”

That's a good point, which brings to light a lot of the fandom that relatively happens online when any discussion of a crossover ensues. Talks of such a thing are always suspect because we never really know what the studios are up to, and a crossover could easily make or break the future of a franchise simply by having too many characters - at least that was one argument by a handful of people who watched Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and something which was especially a challenge for its director, Joss Whedon who called it the "hardest juggling act [he] ever, ever had to pull off". Hopefully the Russo Bros. won't have that same problem in four years.

I would advise some caution for the fans...or perhaps some cautious optimism at best. Sure, we want our movies and we like to see our ideas come to life on film, but there are consequences for wanting too much at once, and these movies have to either be done right or not at all.

Will this hoepful crossover have anything to do with respect to Josh Boone's upcoming New Mutants installment or Josh Wadlow's hopeful X-Force film? Nothing is known just yet. As for the X-Men/F4 crossover happening, hat is not only up to the studio, but as Singer so states, it is also up to the fans of the comic book movieverses of today.

On another note, Avengers: Age Of Ultron arrives on Digital 3D, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere starting September 8 prior to its store availability via 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital SD and On-Demand on October 2.

Stay tuned for more info.

Bryan Singer Introduces The New 'Nightcrawler' For X-MEN: APOCALYPSE!

UPDATE: Looks like Singer decided to pull a fast one and remove Kodi Smit-McPhee's costume debut of Nightcrawler from his Instagram account. Luckily the folks over at CBM have the animation as well as a new picture. (H/T: Cameron)

There's no telling what the future will hold for the current production of director Bryan Singer's latest, X-Men: Apocalypse. However, the forthcoming battle will be the greatest game changer yet with actor Oscar Isaac in the role of title villain, and with a new war at hand, our heroes will need all the power they can get. No doubt that actor Kodi Smit-McPhee will be joining as the character Nightcrawler, in its second iteration following Tony award-winning actor Alan Cumming's role as the bright-eyed indigo-colored mutant teleporter in the 2003 film, X2. Alas, Singer has shared an Instagram video of Smit-McPhee in costume, which you can check out below.

First day on set! Here is @kodismitmcpheeofficial as #Nightcrawler. Catch him before he’s gone. #XMenApocalypse #BAMF #XMEN

A video posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on Apr 27, 2015 at 4:31am PDT

Isaac and McPhee will be joined by an amalgam of new and returning characters, including newly added Olivia Munn as Psylocke, Lana Condor as Jubilee, Ben Hardy as Archangel and X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days Of Future Past co-star Lucas Till as Havok, with more names to come. X-Men: Apocalypse releases its end of days-reign on May 27, 2016!

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Finds Its Psylocke In Olivia Munn

Best. News. Ever.

I first discovered actress Olivia Munn for myself many years ago when she co-hosted the popular geek-friendly variety show, Attack Of The Show on G4TV with fellow host Kevin Pereira. Of course, that was long before NBC Universal deprioritized it last year, although it's made plenty of room for Munn to transcend herself into ample television, web and even film stardom with shows like HBO's The Newsroom, 2010 films Date Night and Iron Man 2, the 2012 flick, Magic Mike and this year's release, Mortdecai.

Low and behold, leave it to X-Men helmer, director Bryan Singer to speak to the hearts and minds of fanboys in 2015 with the long-awaited debut of the character Psylocke in the forthcoming new movie, X-Men: Apocalypse which arrives on May 27, 2016. Comicbook.com forwarded the latest social media blurb via Singer's Twitter/Instagram as things now hit their peak in this, the eighth X-Men film since the first released in 2000

Excited to welcome @oliviamunn as Betsy Braddock! #Psylocke #XmenApocalypse #XMEN

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on Apr 13, 2015 at 1:04pm PDT

The film takes place ten years following X-Men: Days Of Future Past where the changing of the past have set the course for a newer and more powerful enemy. Munn joins a handful of returning cast members from the last two films, in addition to actor Oscar Isaac as the title villan, newcomer Lana Condor as Jubilee, actors Ben Hardy in the role of Archangel, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler, and more.

Stay tuned for more info!

Fox Poised To Bring X-MEN Back To Television

The past two years have been huge in the world of superhero entertainment in film and television with two cinematic universes on their way between two studios, particularly at Marvel with their current slate between now through 2019 while ABC and Netflix pave the way for shows like Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Daredevil, Iron Fist and the newly cast A.K.A. Jessica Jones which just added its newest supervillain with Doctor Who familiar David Tennant.

In addition, there have even been talks for at least year to develop the longstanding X-Men franchise for a return to the small screen following its successful animated Fox Kids series in the 90's, although this week, the studio is finally confirming the news with Fox Entertainment chairman Gary Newman speaking out on the matter. “It’s in negotiations,” he said. “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.”

Reports also show that it is not likely that the show will air before 2016 or 2017, with word from The Hollywood Reporter (via Comingsoon.net) that 24 producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto are up to possibly develop the new series as showrunners with Patrick McKay and JD Payne will penning the pilot episode. Currently there aren't any hints or details as to just how the story for the series will play out. At the same time, director Bryan Singer is currently gearing up for production on next year's X-Men: Apocalypse with the studio also setting up a hopeful third Wolverine film under James Mangold's direction, so this one will surely be worth paying attention to should we get any clues leaning toward a 2018 date.

Stay tuned!