Director Bryan Singer recently told the LA Times that he would like to step away from working on the X-Men film series. Singer wants to take a break and do “something really different” but does not see himself stepping away from the franchise permanently.
Bryan Singer
Singer has been involved in the filmmaking process on the franchise since its beginnings. He directed X-Men in 2000 and X2 in 2003 but stepped down as director for the third film, X-Men: The Last Stand in 2005, which was directed by Brett Ratner. Singer also co-wrote X-Men, X2, Days of Future Past and Apocalypse with Simon Kinberg and served as a producer on 2011’s X-Men: First Class.
Singer returned as director for 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future’s Past, which united the casts of the original trilogy with those of the First Class prequel films.
Singer said, “I recently met [director] Danny Boyle — he and I have known of each other for many years but never met. He was prepping Steve Jobs at the time and I was doing this and he said, ‘Are you going to be doing X-Men movies forever?’ And I didn’t actually say no.”
Jennifer Lawrence and Evan Peters in X-Men: Apocalypse
Singer continued, “The reality is, even though I’m very desperate to jump to something completely different, I’ve spent so many years in this universe and I love this cast and the characters so much. I just don’t see myself abandoning them forever. Perhaps as a consultant, as a producer, even as a director, I could see myself returning in the future. Just right now, once this one is done, I’d like to do something really different.”
Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse opened at number one at the box office, earning $65.3 million domestically over the weekend of May 9th despite mixed critical reaction. The film currently has a 49% on RottenTomatoes, but rated is at 74% with audiences.
Singer stated that he viewed Apocalypse as the conclusion to the current X-Men trilogy. Future sequels are in development but he is not thinking about that now. “Abandoning the franchise is not something I think about,” Singer said, “but I could not roll into another X-Men movie tomorrow. And I hope not to. I hope to take a break.”
X-Men: Apocalypse is currently playing in theaters. The film stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Oscar Isaac, and more.
