Look for X-Men 3 to begin filming in Vancouver, B.C. in June 2005 with a release date of May 2, 2006, according to producer Lauren Shuler Donner.
The storyline will be the Dark Phoenix, she told Sci Fi Wire. "We will follow it through in some respect, absolutely, yes," Shuler Donner said. "And we love Famke [Janssen] anyway, so, yeah. Well, she's Dark Phoenix. She's Jean Grey." Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, who wrote the second film, will write the third, she said.
As for other casting, “We're pretty sure Wolverine's going to come back." Also, "I'm dying to put Beast in," Shuler Donner said. "I tried to get Beast in the first one and the second one, but it was always too expensive. So, yeah, I'm really dying to get Beast in, and I'd love to get Gambit in, because he's such a cool guy. And there's some really good casting ideas for Gambit,” she said, without elaboration.
As for Storm (played by Halle Berry), "I certainly hope so, because I love working with her. ... We would only write a big huge role for her, so she's right in that respect, and we would make sure that that would happen," Shuler Donner said.