Ok. SoX-Men: Apocalypsewas not the movie 20th Century Fox was hoping for. The third sequel in the First Class trilogy opened at number one and has since earned a respectable $154.2 million in the states with another $373.7 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to $527.9 million. Not a bomb set against its $178 million budget. But its time in theaters is winding down this summer, and as it stands, it’s now the 7th highest grossing movie in theX-Menfranchise.Deadpool, which opened a few months earlier this past February, on the other hand ripped out of the gate like gangbusters and never slowed down, going on to become the highest grossing movie in the entireX-Mensaga thus far. It took in a stellar $363 million here, another $418.5 million overseas, bringing its global total to $781. So should it come as any surprise that 20th Century Fox is most eager to jump back into this pool next? Pun intended!
Yesterday, we learned from ProducerSimon Kindbergthat the delayedX-MenspinoffGambitwill finally start shooting with star Channing Tatum in Spring 2017. Now we’ve learned thatDeadpool 2will shoot a little earlier than that. There were rumors that the second standalone adventure for Ryan Reynolds’Wade Wilsonmight shoot as soon as this fall. But it sounds like the production team is holding out for an early 2017 start date. And it will be the next movie in theX-Menfranchise to get released afterWolverine 3. Speaking withThe Hashtag Show, producerSimon Kinberghad this to say about how the whole X Universe is moving forward.
“The first thing up, we’re shooting the Wolverine movie right now and we start shooting Deadpool 2 at the beginning of next year, then I sit down and start writing the next of the mainlineX-Men movies.”
We already know thatWolverine 3, which is shooting right now and believed to be titledWeapon X(though Fox hasn’t confirmed that title), will hit theaters on March 3. Fox also has August 17, 2025 and August 04, 2025 staked out for two untitled Marvel movies. Following the producer’s statements, we can pretty much guess thatDeadpool 2will arrive spring 2018, withGambittaking that prime June real estate. Which makes perfect sense. We’re not sure whenX-Men 7will hit, even with Kinberg hunkering down to write the movie soon. But we do know that Fox also has the spinoffsThe New MutantsandX-Forcein the works. It is believed thatCablewill arrive first inDeadpool 2, helping to set up that next ensemble, with Wade Wilson later coming aboard for at least anX-Forcecameo to give that lesser known title a boost at the box office.
There had been some recent rumors that Channing Tatum split from Fox to focus on an as yet revealed DC Comics movie. While Tatum may, perhaps, still be eyeballing a DC superhero adventure, Kinberg confirms thatGambit, which was originally supposed to be in theaters this October, is shooting in Spring of next year. Though, the footing still seems a bit off. He says this.
“We have a great script on that and hope to shoot that movie at the beginning of spring of next year.”
So, right now, we are looking at seeingWolverine 3next year, withDeadpool 2andGambitin theaters during the first half of 2018. We can only guess that meansThe New MutantsandX-Forcewill arrive in 2019. We know that Bryan Singer is taking a break from the X-Men universe to make20,000 Leagues Under the Seanext. The speculation and rumor mill have him returning forX-Men 7, which could potentially be in theaters summer 2020. Though, withX-Men: Apocalypse’s less than stellar reviews and fan reception, Fox may be considered keeping Singer in his producer duties while handing the reigns of the next X-Men trilogy off to a fresh director. What we know aboutX7is that it takes place in the 1990s and will be set partially (perhaps entirely) in space. As forDeadpool 2noplot details, other than the arrival of Cable, have been disclosed at this time.
