(Note: For the Sake of Simplicity I am using the line-up from the film itself, not adding any characters, because for my vision it's not a necessity. Also Images of the actors used for several different actors are as far back as 1994 and as new as maybe 2001, it was at times a bit tough to find images appropriate from the years 1999/2000 so I gave myself a bit of leeway. I hope everyone enjoys this cast.)
You know, I am one of the few fans who love the X-Men Movies (X-Men, X2, X-Men First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men Days of Future Past, all 5 are great), but also like most fans, I agree they haven’t really looked like X-Men Movies. I always thought about it and I felt that they could have made the film look more of a Comic Book without ruining the integrity or the seriousness of the material. I often wondered who would be a Director Or a Writer, or a Composer ballsy enough to take on such a venture, So now, gaze into my take of a 2000 X-Men Movie Made to be more like the Comic Books.
My story: In the modern world, X-Men are known as a group of Mutant Freedom Activist led by Xavier. They wear costumes as a way of not hiding their mutation, but stating it loud and proud. Xavier fights the battle against ‘Friends of Humanity’ an Anti-Mutant rights group who want to keep a homo sapien superiority society active. This organization, spear heading the ‘Mutant Registration Act’ is led by United States Senator Robert Kelly, who is actively campaigning for the Presidency.
In effort to maintain peace, Xavier is battling the bill trying to show the world that Mutants are heroes. Elements out of his control have other plans, as Magneto intends to bring a pure mutant society by bringing about the person he calls The Mutant Messiah. With only vague clues Xavier searches for the Mutant Messiah Magneto searches for.
Clues lead Xavier to a young Mutant Runaway, Rogue. Her travels bring her into the world of Logan, a lone mutant looking for his Identity. Saved by The X-Men the two join the Mutant activist. While Logan goes on a mission of finding his Identity, with hope of Xavier’s help being key. Rogue’s mother is re-introduced into her life as she torn between Xavier and Magneto. Seeing Magneto’s Plans to use Cerebro and Magneto’s evolution machine to active her full range of Powers and in Magneto’s hopes turn her into the Mutant Messiah, and with that power turn all of humanity into Mutants.
Composer: A film score (also sometimes called film music, background music, or incidental music) is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score forms part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects, and comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces called cues which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the scene in question.
Danny Elfman [Notable Works: Batman, Batman Returns, Men In Black]: Danny has done a Majority of the modern memorable scores of film. His work has been nothing short of Iconic, Amazing, or just all out fun. His work is absolutely wonderful, even when he phones it in his work really captures a spirit. But with X-Men I bet he could really have some fun.
Screenwriter: A screenplay or script is a written work by screenwriters for a film, video game or television program. These screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated. A play for television is also known as a teleplay.
William Goldman [Notable Works: The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Absolute Power]: William Goldman is a wonderful writer, he’s by far one of the most amazing screenwriters ever to get involved in the business. He’s written films that defined kid’s childhood experiences, but he’s also done serious adult dramas. As a writer there’s no one I could imagine doing a more comic book-esq and intelligent X-Men Movie.
Director: Directors are responsible for overseeing creative aspects of a film under the overall control of the film producer. They often develop the vision for a film and carry out the vision, deciding how the film should look, in other words they make their vision come to life. They are responsible for turning the script into a sequence of shots. They also direct what tone it should have and what an audience should gain from the cinematic experience. Film directors are responsible for deciding camera angles, lens effects and lighting with the help of the cinematographer and set design with the production designer. They will often take part in hiring the cast and key crew members. They coordinate the actors' moves, or blocking and also may be involved in the writing, financing and editing of a film.
Sam Raimi [Notable Works: Evil Dead Trilogy, For The Love of the Game, Darkman]: Sam is a director with roots that really delve deep into comic books. At the time he had been hungry for a comic book movie and hadn’t been given a proper chance, I think X-Men would have been a perfect model for him. With Army of Darkness he build a credibility in doing very FX driven films, and with Army of Darkness and Darkman he showed he could do both light and dark films. He would have had fun balancing the two angles and giving us a very deep and heartfelt X-Men Movie while making it feel like a classic X-Men comic.
Charles Xavier/Professor X [Height: 6’ 0”, Age: 60’s-70’s]: Headmaster of the Xavier School of Gifted Youngsters. In this version, he suffers from being a quadriplegic. A powerful, if not one of the most powerful, telepaths seeking a peaceful solution to the oncoming Human-Mutant war. He leads the X-Men from the home base at Mansion.
Christopher Reeve [Height: 6’ 4”, Age: 48 (In 2000), Notable Works: Superman, Rear Window, Above Suspicion]: Not only is he one of the most genially decent people to have ever acted, he was a great actor who gave a lot of heart to the craft. I think there’s no doubt he’d have been perfect for Charles. He’s truly inspirational figure and that could really have played to his advantage in the role. He’s got such an reputation that drives home the ideals Charles Xavier fights for.
Scott Summers/Cyclopes [Height: 6’ 3”, Age: 30’s]: Field leader of the X-Men. He carries the ability of release a high pressured energy beam allowing him push or damage object through intense impact. He was one of the first students Gathered by Xavier. He carries a flame for Jean Grey, having had a crush on her since his induction into the Xavier institute.
David Boreanaz [Height: 6’ 1”, Age: 31 (In 2000), Notable Works: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, I’m With Lucy]: David has a quality to him that has always kept him a very straightforward player. His work is nothing short of what is necessary to Play Cyclops. He would have been perfect, he’s a great actor for it, and he has got the classic strengths that make the character perfect for him. No doubt he’d be perfect in the role.
Jean Grey/Marvel Girl [Height: 5’ 6”, Age: 30’s]: The Beautiful but trouble Jean has been a very quiet person since joining the Xavier institute. Facing a deeper more powerful entity that has been inside her since childhood, she has focus her efforts in stabilizing her powers and allowing her the control of telepathy and telekinesis. She is the most powerful member of the team, and Xavier’s personal Assistant at the school, carrying for him in the many tasks required for a Quadriplegic, by extension of the Telekinesis.
Jennifer Garner [Height: 5’ 8”, Age: 28 (In 2000), Notable Works: 1999, Time Of Your Life, The Pretender]: Jennifer is a wonderful actress, probably one of the greatest actresses of the modern generation. She has an elemental beauty to her that really makes her stand out, her talent has always been top notch and her physicality is perfectly suited. Back in 2000 she would have been amazing as Jean. She’s got the emotional vulnerability to her and the independent attitude that makes her all around the perfect choice for Jean Grey.
Ororo Munroe/Storm [Height: 5’ 11”, Age: 30’s]: Born in Africa, and Enslaved at a young age, she was brought into Egypt from her native country [maybe Wikanda ;)]. She was enslaved until the demonstration of her mutant abilities which raised rumors of a Cult following her rule, She was eventually cast out as a Mutant and in that she was found by Professor Xavier and brought to his school where she learned to develop her powers, but continues to work through her fears of enclosure [caused from almost being buried alive in a pyramid as a child].
Gina Torres [Height: 5’ 10”, Age: 31 (In 2000), Notable Works: Hercules (T.V. Show), Dark Angel (T.V. Movie), One Life To Live]: Gina is a beautiful and underrated actress. Having done many T.V. Series she built a small cult following that paved the way to a successful turn in Firefly that garnered her new fans and introduced her to the mind of Joss Whedon. Her work has always made her stand out in terms of how talented and how much dedication she gave her performances. Her as Storm? That would have been one hell of a performance!
Logan/Wolverine [Height: 5’ 3”, Age: N/A]: Living with no memory of where he came from or who he is, All Logan knows is he’s a Canadian with chunks of memories that make no sense to him and his Bones are laced with a metallic substance known as Adamantium. He searches the country in an attempt to find who or what he is. Along the way he is recruited to the X-Men after getting into an altercation making his presence as a Mutant known to Professor X and Magento’s Brotherhood. He has a wild temper, possible caused by PTSD, which sends him into a blind rage where he attacks and kills whatever comes in front of him.
Kiefer Sutherland [Height: 5’ 8”, Age: 34 (In 2000), Notable Works: Lost Boys, Eye For An Eye, A Time to Kill]: Kiefer is probably the closest you could come to finding the perfect actor for Wolverine. The biggest complaint about casting Wolverine is ‘how can you find a 5 foot-something Canadian with a gruff voice who can act?’ Well Kiefer fits that bill pretty damn well. He’s got the perfect voice for it, the size, the attitude for it, and he’s a damn good actor. Think he can’t turn on some berserker rage? He looked pretty damn Scary in ‘The Lost Boys’, don’t think he can do the more aggressive mannerisms that Logan has? Well I’d argue that ‘A Time To Kill’ shows him at an aggressive angle. Don’t think he could look the part? Check out ‘Eye For An Eye’, all he needs is to dye his hair black. He’s got the look he’s got the physique for it, he’d have made a wonderful Wolverine. Hell he’d be as true to the character as any fan could really hope for.
Rogue [Height: 5’ 8”, Age: Teens]: A young teenager who’s undergoing the trauma of accepting her Mutation. She goes in search of someone who can help her focus her powers. This leads her into a tug of war between Professor X and Magneto, who lures her with her own Mother… Mystique.
Jewel Staite [Height: 5’ 5”, Age: 18 (In 2000), Notable Works: Honey I Shrunk The Kids (T.V. Show), Higher Ground, Da Vinci’s Inquest]: Jewel is one hell of an actress. Her work is something wonderful, truth is she would have been a perfect Kitty Pryde, but considering the take on Rogue in this series is a bit of an amalgam makes Jewel a perfect choice. All she needed is a southern drawn and she could have made this character hers!
Bobby Drake [Height: 5’ 8”, Age: Teens]: The youngest Hopeful member of the X-Men, he is the first to welcome Rogue to the X-Men, helping her find a place among the rest of the Student body at Xavier’s school. He has thermokinesis, allowing him to control all elements of Ice, in mainly imaginative forms.
Jake Gyllenhaal [Height: 6’ 0”, Age: 20 (In 2000), Notable Works: A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, October Sky]: He’s always shown such a talent as an actor. The fact he was passed over for Spider-Man is a bit mind-bogling. Truth be told, had anyone taken a close look at him, they’d have snatched him for a comic book role a while ago. A role like Bobby Drake might not have been a large one, but he certainly could have shown some real stripes and made the character bigger than they were at the time. He could have made Iceman an A-List X-Man, and it would have slungshot Jake into the Hollywood lime light.
Senator Robert Kelly [Height: 5’ 10”, Age: 50’s]: United States Senator and Presidential Hopeful who’s introduced the Mutant Registration act out of fear for the Mutant Master Race, now he intends to bring the Mutants into massive concentration camp making sure that Mutants will never destroy the Human race.
David Hyde Pierce [Height: 5’ 9”, Age: 41 (In 2000), Notable Works: Fraiser, A Bug’s Life, Chain of Fools]: David is a wonderful actor, he’s done such a great Job in pretty much anything he does. He’s got a solid voice and a perfect look to him that makes him a perfect choice for Robert Kelly.
Max Eisenhardt/Erik Lensherr/Magneto [Height: 6' 2", Age: 60's-70's]: A Victim of the holocaust, Max had left his home and his family for fear of prosecution. But once he discovered what he could do, he vowed to kill every Nazi responsible. Among his travels he met Charles Xavier, the two discovering they were mutants aided each other, eventually opening a school for Gifted Youth, but policies and beliefs separated the men, as Xavier began to realize his friend had become the type of monster he swore to eliminate. Max, as the Master of Magnetism Magneto, intends on transforming the world into a Mutant world.
Jeremy Irons [Height: 6’ 2”, Age: 52 (In 2000), Notable Work: The Lion King, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Man in the Iron Mask]: Jeremy is one of the great thespians of the 20
th century. He’s evolved his methods as an actor and has only gotten better. His work is a standard for actors to aspire to. There’s nothing short of pure wonder in his performances and with a character like Magneto there’s no doubt he could bring such an element to him that it would be as Iconic as Ian McKellen’s take.
Raven Darkholme/Mystique [Height: 5’ 10”, Age: N/A]: With the ability to Transform, fitting in was never an issue for Raven. But with her joining the Mutant revolution, she had to keep her family from ever getting involved, causing her to give her Daughter and Son up for adoption, in hopes they would never find the terrorist their mother was, unless they could win the war and create a utopia for Mutants.
Milla Jovovich [Height: 5’ 9”, Age: 25 (In 2000), Notable Works: The Fifth Element, Chaplin, The Messenger: Joan of Arc]: Milla is one hell of an actress, She’s got such a great physical form, that she could handle the action exceptionally well. Not to mention her talent is actually wonderful as an actress. She would do wonderful as Mystique.
Mortimer Toynbee/Toad [Height: 5’ 9”, Age: 40’s]: Former English circus freak, the Toad was liberated by Magneto, joining the Brotherhood and finding a new purpose to his life. Despite Magneto’s occasionally abusive behavior towards the simple Toad, He remains ever loyal to the cause, and devotes his powers to Mutant superiority.
Robert Carlyle [Height: 5’ 8”, Age: 39 (In 2000), Notable Works: Full Monty, The World is Not Enough, Trainspotting]: Robert is one hell of an actor. I’ve never seen him give a bad performance and he’s always brought new dimensions to his characters, him as Toad? That would have been amazing, his performance would certainly elevated the character’s popularity. Not to mention he played a pretty Badass Bond villain.
Victor Creed/Sabretooth [Height: 6’ 6”, Age: N/A]: The only man who knows the truth about Logan’s past. Recruited because of his background as the C.I.A.’s top Wet-works asset, and his ability to plan complicated black ops missions on top of his remarkable strength, healing factor, and Enhanced reflexes and senses. He is the perfect soldier, and Magneto’s strongest asset. His psychopathic behavior is pleasing to Magneto so long as he doesn’t attack a hostile mutant in Magneto’s presence. He often banters with Toad, finding the Simple mutant very annoying and useless.
Dolph Lundgren [Height: 6’ 5”, Age: 43 (In 2000), Notable Works: Universal Soldier, Rocky IV, The Punisher]: With an extensive martial arts background, and a history of playing such intimidating villains, and a physique that could match the comic book monster with ease. Many might think he’s not a good actor, but I think it’s ridiculous. He’s a good actor and smart individual who could certainly play this character as envisioned by Chris Claremont.