After a few disastrous installments (namely ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’), 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movie franchise is finally back on track. Thanks to a little retconning in widely acclaimed offerings such as ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’, ‘Deadpool’, and ‘Logan’, True Believers have finally seen the beloved Marvel mutants restored to their former glory on the big screen. And with ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ firmly establishing new stars stepping into the iconic roles of Storm, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and more, Professor X’s team is ready to move forward in a new and exciting direction. However, according to one of the series’ original stars, that means that we’ve likely seen the last of the old guard.
As seen in the most recent X-Men movie, Sophie Turner of ‘Game of Thrones’ fame is the all-new Jean Grey and she’s set to be thrust into a much larger role in the upcoming ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’. But before her time as the red-headed telepath, Famke Janssen was the one to take the character from cool, calm, and collected to possessed by a powerful cosmic entity. And during her appearance at Denver Comic Con over the weekend, the actress discussed the possibility of ‘Days of Future Past’ being her final appearance in the franchise that happened to revolutionize the superhero movie genre:
“I think we’re done, but it was really great while it lasted and it lasted for a long time. It’s been nothing but a pleasure working not just as Jean Grey, which was such an honor because comics were so fantastic already, but then the entire cast who I got to play with, all my fellow actors, thespians who are so talented. It was just a wonderful experience. I’m very grateful. Jean Grey is a part of me. I would definitely come back to play her whenever they ask me.”
While it’s disappointing to see the original cast go, the reality is that they’re not getting any younger and action movies tend to be a younger actor’s game. Plus, this transition proves that superhero movies don’t necessarily need a reboot to freshen up a franchise in the same way that James Bond, Jack Ryan, or The Doctor are swapped out every once in a while. And finally, we got to see Janssen’s generation of X-Men get their happy ending when Wolverine returned to the present at the end of ‘Days of Future Past’. Well, at least things were happy until ‘Logan’, but that’s a whole other conversation. And finally, despite the ups and downs since these films kicked off in 2000, fans can always look back, appreciate their contributions, and remember fondly the time when Halle Berry was Storm, James Marsden was Cyclops, Patrick Stewart was Professor X, or when Famke Janssen was Jean Grey.
How do you feel about the original cast of ‘X-Men’ potentially no longer appearing in the films moving forward? Are you disappointed that the roles have been passed on or are you okay with another group carrying on the legacy of the franchise? And if the original cast were to appear again, how do you think it would play out? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below.
Source: ComicBook.com
