6 Most Likely Possibilities For 20th Century Fox's Two Newly Dated UNTITLED MARVEL MOVIES
Despite X-Men: Apocalypse not quite meeting expectations, Fox has big plans for their Marvel properties, including two mystery movies in 2018. These are the six most likely possibilities for those...
Over the weekend, 20th Century Fox announced two new release dates for their currently untitled Marvel movies in 2018 (one has shifted from January 12th to March 2nd, while the other has been brought forward from July 13th to June 29th). As of right now, what exactly those are is a complete mystery, but Fox is no doubt rethinking things in a big way after the release of X-Men: Apocalypse.
However, looking at past interviews and rumours, it's easy enough to come up with some of the most likely candidates as to what those movies might be. What you'll find here are the six best possible options along with everything we know about them so far. Which of these end up reaching the big screen in 2018 promises to be very interesting indeed, though it may not be the ones you expect...
6. X-Force
Kick-Ass 2's Jeff Wadlow was originally hired to work on X-Force, but it was recently revealed that Simon Kinberg is now developing the screenplay. There's been no word on a director, though Ryan Reynolds has sounded enthusiastic about playing Deadpool in the movie (no doubt alongside whoever ends up taking on the role of Cable). Who will end up joining those two remains to be seen, though we can unfortunately cross Wolverine off the list as Hugh Jackman is hanging up his claws next year.
That's a pretty major blow to X-Force, but it can survive without him, especially if the Merc with the Mouth takes centre stage and we're introduced to characters like Fantomex and Domino. However, this one has been in development so long that hoping it happens almost feels like wishful thinking at this stage. Still, with the mixed reaction to X-Men: Apocalypse, Fox could probably do with another R-Rated hit, so don't be surprised to see this become a priority.
5. X-Men/Fantastic Four
Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot was a flop, but it doesn't sound like Fox has any plans to just hand the rights back to Marvel Studios any time soon. Despite Simon Kinberg's claims that they're hoping to develop a sequel with a very different tone, it seems highly unlikely that any of that movie's cast will agree to return, especially as they've publicly slated it, and in the case of Michael B. Jordan, made the leap to greener pastures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Following the disappointing response to X-Men: Apocalypse, having the new younger cast members from that movie team-up with a different iteration of the Fantastic Four (skip the origin story and have them just emerge as a team during the 1990s in the same world as the X-Men) could work really well, especially if it puts the two teams on an epic cosmic adventure epic enough to rival Avengers: Infinity War. Does Fox have the balls to pit the X-Men and Fantastic Four against Galactus? Here's hoping.
4. Magneto
Looking back over the trilogy which started with X-Men: First Class, it's pretty clear that Magneto has always been the highlight. His solo movie (originally intended to be an origin story) was incorporated into that Matthew Vaughn helmed release back in 2011, but of all the X-Men characters currently on the table, it definitely feels like the Master of Magnetism is the most capable of holding his own on the big screen.
Assuming Assassin's Creed is a hit this December, Michael Fassbender's status as a leading man will be fully cemented, and Fox would be wise to take advantage of that. There are many directions this one could take following the events of X-Men: Apocalypse and where that leaves Erik, and it would be good for him to have his own movie so the main X-Men franchise can take a break from Magneto for a while. How about him assembling a Brotherhood of Mutants to help build Genosha? That could be a strong starting point anyway.
3. New Mutants
Josh Boone recently revealed that the New Mutants screenplay has been completed, so it's now just a case of waiting to see when Fox gives this one the green light so he can start making the damn thing. The filmmaker is currently busy with a couple of Stephen King adaptations (including an ambitious take on The Stand), but chances are this movie could still make it to the big screen by 2018.
There have been a lot of rumours about this one, including roles for both Professor X and Storm, not to mention characters like Magik and Wolfsbane. A mixture of Young Adult adventure and classic comic book movie, Fox could have a big hit on their hands here, but it feels like New Mutants is now gathering dust on a shelf the same way as X-Force and Gambit. Hopefully that will change soon, and based on the fairly positive updates we've been hearing of late, don't be surprised to see this team show up in two years.
2. Deadpool 2
Well, duh. Despite rumours that Deadpool 2 would be rushed out to meet the scrapped Fantastic Four sequel's release date, the movie's writers have since made it clear that there's no way they'll be done in time for that to be the case, so 2018 seems like the most logical next choice. With a bigger budget and the same creative team, this sequel stands a very real chance of being Fox's first $1 billion Marvel movie despite the R-Rating (though it probably wouldn't hurt for the studio to consider making a PG-13 version which would be for China alone).
We know that Cable is going to show up here and that the movie is likely going to set up an X-Force movie, so there's a lot riding on this one, though it's obviously essential Tim Miller and company have the same creative freedom as they did the first time around to ensure Fox don't interfere and turn this into something as bad as X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Needless to say, the Merc with the Mouth needs to return to theaters ASAP.
1. An X-Men: Apocalypse Sequel
While it's not going to be the massive hit Fox no doubt expected, X-Men: Apocalypse will be far from a flop for Fox, so don't expect them to sit on the franchise for too long. What they probably will do is rethink their approach, and while a reboot would be a huge waste of the talented young cast they assembled in that latest movie, a soft reboot with a new director at the helm wouldn't be remotely surprising for 2018.
Just like Matthew Vaughn came in after the disastrous X-Men: The Last Stand to set a whole new tone with First Class, a filmmaker who can embrace the sensibilities of the '90s X-Men cartoon and comics would be fantastic. We already know that Bryan Singer is going to be too busy with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to return to the world of the X-Men for at least a few years, and it seems doubtful that Fox will leave these heroes on the shelf until he's ready to come back. Doing so could be a potentially major mistake on their part too.
Which of these movies would you most like to see in 2018? Have we missed any other likely possibilities? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.