What Would Singer's X-Men 3 Have Been Like?

[GreenScar]

While personally I only marginally liked the X-Men movies (they felt too rushed to me), it's an interesting question to ask: What would Singer's third movie have been like?

Well, Author Thomas McClean's book Mutant Cinema: The X-Men Trilogy From Comics to Screen reveals some interesting tidbits:

Dougherty had already revealed some time ago that they had wanted to cast Sigourney Weaver as Emma Frost, a comic book psychic who would be reimagined as an empath able to control people's emotions. Some reports have suggested that Frost would have been an old flame of Xavier and would have emotionally manipulated a resurrected, unstable Jean Grey into the evil Dark Phoenix.

McLean's book adds new information:

The author says in the chapter notes at the end of the book that this material came from a telephone interview with Dougherty in September 2006.

It's interesting stuff but X3 (and its interpretation of the Phoenix story) is not going to be unmade or remade, and there's no way of knowing how a Singer X3 would have finally turned out when released - although it would have been more consistent in tone with the first two X-Men films.

However, there is always a 'grass is greener' attitude among some fans. The third movie had enormous expectations on it - fans finally wanted Beast, Angel, Sentinels and the Danger Room (which had all been scripted, and then cut, from the previous two films) and there's no way all that could be added and handled in a way that would satisfy everyone

The book also dismisses fanboy rumours of bitter rivalry between the X-Men and Superman production teams:

Source
You can pick up the book at Amazon.

[Red Hood]

I can't see Sigourney Weaver as Emma Frost, that is just weird.

[Sussudio]

i would rather singer completed his xmen trilogy and waited longer for superman, and im a much bigger superman fan than xmen. if you're going to start something and have the ability to see it to the end, prove your devotion to the fans and finish what you start. singer obviously cared a great deal for xmen as he came back for a 2nd. too bad rebooting a sequel is pretty much out of the question.

[mikejet]

They should have stretched the Dark Phoenix Saga across 2 movies.

[Blu Titan]

I am as big a comic book fan as it gets. I am also a sucker for film adaptation of comics. However, X-Men 3 was awefull...a very boring movie devoid of an interesting plot or believable acting. Anyone could have done a better job directing #3.

[apollo92178]

Man, we were robbed! X-Men 3 was a sheer disaster. And you know what? Both X-men and Superman suffered for it. Doyoublu, mikejet, and Bluetitan all hit it right on the money. The other thing I can't understand is why we had to wait 6 years for a danger room and sentinel to show up in the movie? What was so hard in this day and age to do about the a danger room scene? And putting that idiot ratner in the director chair, whose idea was that? Again some of the executives in this country should be drawn and quarted to put it mildly.

[Uuah]

Ratner's "playboy persona" is no more different than that of Singer's. It's just perceived differently.
One of my best friends was in a film class at Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before he was kicked out, he got to visit the Canada set of X2. He said Singer had his own, personal coffee shop built into the budget of the film.
Singer apparently couldn't function without a certain brand of coffee, so he not only had their stock shipped in, but an actual member of the brand name staff and matching equipment . . . to make sure it all got done right.
If Singer was so intense and in touch with the fans, I never knew it. I've followed the X-Men since I was in the second grade (1990). When I found out about the first movie getting made, I was all over the internet for the first time in that respect. I picked up every copy of Comics Journal and Wizard that I knew had mention of the film or an interview with the stars.
Singer was completely foreign to the material, before he was presented with it. He almost didn't care. Even after the script reading, Singer hadn't picked up an issue of X-Men and read it. Actually, Hugh Jackman was the first member of the cast I know of who picked up an issue of the series. Jackman used Wolverine and other X-Titles to get a grip on the character. He actually had a lot of input as a result and he's the reason Wolverine is so true to form in the movies. Not Singer. Not DeSanto or Hayter.
So, what am I saying?
There the same guy. There would have been detail differences, but . . . come on! Neither guy was influenced by the source material. Their previous films may be different. Their tastes may be different. There may have been minor script details that would have been different. But, when you get down to it, X-3 would have been the same damn movie.
Write a better hypothetical question, like "What if Rami directed it?"
Something.
Throw your aching soul a bone. Ratner and Singer are both kind of losers and both make kind of crummy, commercial movies. They're popcorn men. Popcorn men make popcorn movies. Just rest easy they helmed a superhero movie rather than Moby Dick or The Tempest.

[MAPdead]

I was disappointed in all 3 X-Men movies I think the series needs a reboot.

[Blu Man]

Originally Posted by MAPdead

I was disappointed in all 3 X-Men movies I think the series needs a reboot.

I didn't like them either but I don't think that a reboot is needed. Yet.

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by Uuah

Ratner and Singer are both kind of losers and both make kind of crummy, commercial movies. They're popcorn men. Popcorn men make popcorn movies. Just rest easy they helmed a superhero movie rather than Moby Dick or The Tempest.

agree about ratner, disagree about singer. he did usual suspects which was a brilliant piece of original story filmmaking. and if you watch any of the behind the scenes docs for his movies you can clearly tell how devoted he is to the movies he chooses. so he didnt read xmen comics before he directed the movies, so what? id rather have someone bring something fresh to the table and still remain partially true to the comics than just base 100% of his movie off of them. if you want a 100% true to comics story save yourself a movie ticket and just go pick up a comic book that you can read over and over again. just my opinion.

[Uuah]

Originally Posted by MAPdead

I was disappointed in all 3 X-Men movies I think the series needs a reboot.

I agree. I've my complaints about the SpiderMan movies, but he isn't my favorite Marvel character. I'm an X-Fan.
I say they pull the same thing they did with Batman. Wait another few years and get somebody with an actual appreciation for the material at the helm.
It's just a shame, because I really liked Jackman's Logan

[Blu Man]

Originally Posted by Uuah

I agree. I've my complaints about the SpiderMan movies, but he isn't my favorite Marvel character. I'm an X-Fan.
I say they pull the same thing they did with Batman. Wait another few years and get somebody with an actual appreciation for the material at the helm.
It's just a shame, because I really liked Jackman's Logan

I think that if they make a reboot they should wait at least ten years between each series. Lets go with 8-10 years.

[Uuah]

Originally Posted by DoYouBlu

agree about ratner, disagree about singer. he did usual suspects which was a brilliant piece of original story filmmaking. and if you watch any of the behind the scenes docs for his movies you can clearly tell how devoted he is to the movies he chooses. so he didnt read xmen comics before he directed the movies, so what? id rather have someone bring something fresh to the table and still remain partially true to the comics than just base 100% of his movie off of them. if you want a 100% true to comics story save yourself a movie ticket and just go pick up a comic book that you can read over and over again. just my opinion.

It is just an opinion. One that averted the point.
I'm saying he didn't even refer to the source material
I'm not looking for what I've grown to expect of Shakespeare, if I go and see Shakespeare, but . . . I'd still expect the director of one of his works to have an understanding and appreciation of the depth of the work.
Singer didn't have to be a fan. He just should have been more respectful.
A behind the scenes doc is going to cast any director in a positive light. I'm saying my friend was there. I'm saying the guy's no big deal.
I also thought the Usual Suspects was ridiculously low par.

[GreenScar]

Originally Posted by Uuah

I agree. I've my complaints about the SpiderMan movies, but he isn't my favorite Marvel character. I'm an X-Fan.
I say they pull the same thing they did with Batman. Wait another few years and get somebody with an actual appreciation for the material at the helm.
It's just a shame, because I really liked Jackman's Logan

What's your take on X-Men Origins: Wolverine? You've probably been following things closely.

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by Uuah

It is just an opinion. One that averted the point.
I'm saying he didn't even refer to the source material
I'm not looking for what I've grown to expect of Shakespeare, if I go and see Shakespeare, but . . . I'd still expect the director of one of his works to have an understanding and appreciation of the depth of the work.
Singer didn't have to be a fan. He just should have been more respectful.
A behind the scenes doc is going to cast any director in a positive light. I'm saying my friend was there. I'm saying the guy's no big deal.
I also thought the Usual Suspects was ridiculously low par.

i do get what you are saying (and if you're not a singer fan that's fine of course), and i think you make a good point that the director should have an understanding and appreciation for the depth of his work. but what do you mean singer shouldve been more respectful (i'm asking because i'm curious and don't know, not because i'm trying to argue it)?

also ive seen a fair amount of making of docs where the director is clearly not devoted to his movie. he might be doing his job, but it doesn't mean he's putting forth 110% (big example is the alien 3 docs...david fincher looks and acts like he could care less about making the movie and more like he's doing it to boost his reputation, which he was).

[Uuah]

Originally Posted by DoYouBlu

i do get what you are saying (and if you're not a singer fan that's fine of course), and i think you make a good point that the director should have an understanding and appreciation for the depth of his work. but what do you mean singer shouldve been more respectful (i'm asking because i'm curious and don't know, not because i'm trying to argue it)?

also ive seen a fair amount of making of docs where the director is clearly not devoted to his movie. he might be doing his job, but it doesn't mean he's putting forth 110% (big example is the alien 3 docs...david fincher looks and acts like he could care less about making the movie and more like he's doing it to boost his reputation, which he was).

Fincher does that with all of his movies, though.
What I mean by "respectful" is the fact that he didn't delve into a bit of the work until after the actors did. As a director, it's your job to guide the actors or, at least, make sure you're on the same page. How was he supposed to direct Jackman as Wolverine, if Jackman understood the character better than he did?

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by Uuah

Fincher does that with all of his movies, though.
What I mean by "respectful" is the fact that he didn't delve into a bit of the work until after the actors did. As a director, it's your job to guide the actors or, at least, make sure you're on the same page. How was he supposed to direct Jackman as Wolverine, if Jackman understood the character better than he did?

makes sense, i would have thought singer would have at least begun reading up on the storylines in prepro before casting even started. lame.

[nolfoc]

god i hated this movie it was bad on so many levels...

1. where the hell did nightcrawler go? nobody even talked about it in the movie.. he was part of the team in the end of 2 and dissapeared in the 3rd.

2. how can you kill cyclops in the first 20 mins of hte movie? and even professor x later on in the movie

3. somehting that bothered me from the first one.. wasnt gambit and rogue together in the comics?

4. ratner should have put more story in this movie and completed that with a 4th movie... i.e. on hte good guys introduce gambit, bring arch angel into hte movie more then just a scene..

5. i wished they went into phoenixs story a little more then just a bullshit one that ratner presented..

6. back to the first one.. why didnt the characters where the outfits they did in the comics.. why did they all have matching suits... spiderman, superman, the punisher, batman, they all didnt have didnt outfits then the comics.. so why the xmen...


well as you can see i think this moive sucked, and even though i had issues with all 3 of them i still liked the 1st and 2nd i just thought the 3rd ruined the franchise, almost like batman forever and batman and robin did for that franchise... maybe xmen will redo theirs like batman did

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by nolfoc

maybe xmen will redo theirs like batman did

doubtful, as the first two (and 3 somewhat) were still really successful. the 3rd unquestionably sucked and you bring up a good point, how stupid is it to kill off ANY of the characters integral to the team?? if ratner continued with the franchise the 5th movie would probably be called X-Man: The Last (Man) Stand(ing).

sidenote:

[Show spoiler] professor X didn't actually die in X3, watch after the credits

[MAPdead]

Originally Posted by Uuah

I agree. I've my complaints about the SpiderMan movies, but he isn't my favorite Marvel character. I'm an X-Fan.
I say they pull the same thing they did with Batman. Wait another few years and get somebody with an actual appreciation for the material at the helm.
It's just a shame, because I really liked Jackman's Logan

I agree Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is perfect and Patrick Stewart as Professor X but I never did like ANY of the cast other then those 2. I would love to see the series done like Batman I think it will happen but not for along time.