X-Men 4: Is a Fourth Film a Reality?

After an incredible screen debut in X-Men, a spectacular sequel in X-2: X-Men United, and a mixed third viewing in X-Men: The Last Stand, what's in store for Professor Xavier's band of mutants? Some sources report quite a bit indeed.

The third film divided its audience more than any of its predecessors. Some of us felt it was exactly what X-Men needed, a stunning conclusion led by the sense of fear, uncertainty, and brother against brother. Others felt it betrayed the source material by killing off three main characters and disempowering two more. Either way you look at it, the third film pretty much ended everything.

But Fox believes otherwise. In fact, Fox has wanted more in the franchise all along. Unfortunately, each film became progressively more expensive than the last. More actors mean larger salaries, and with names like Anna Paquin coming to more national prominence, the plot gets rather heavy after a while. A producer, Lauren Shuler Donner, mentioned in 2006 that several of the cast had not signed to return for a sequel. Such names include Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, and Anna Paquin. Halle Berry, James Marsden, and Patrick Stewart later voiced interest in returning. Bryan Singer was even approached to direct, but he bowed out due to committments with other projects. Certain negotiations would need to occur to for the main film series to continue.

In mid 2007, no work had been done on a fourth film. No script had emerged, and no plans were released. But the president of Marvel Studios production, Kevin Feige, stated another film was indeed possible. After three films, can we really put a dent in the 40+ years of source material available? We haven't even seen the Sentinels yet, save for a short cameo in a training sequence.

With the rising costs of the last three films, Fox has decided to take another approach. Don't make another main series film right off the bat. Make spin-offs featuring a few of the main characters, keep costs low, and use the money they make to produce a fourth X-Men film. It's a divide-and-conquer approach, and one that breathes a little life into the main franchise.

On the production burners right now are three films: two origin films and one a little different. X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men Origins: Magneto are both slated for release sometime in 2009. Magneto may be on hold longer due to the Writer's Strike earlier this year. Both films will explain the origins of the titular characters, two of X-Men's most popular characters ever. Both will feature younger versions of the characters we've seen in the last three films, though keeping the main actors (Jackman and McKellen) to anchor the plot.

Both look promising, but the coup de grace appears in Wolverine. This film is slated to feature Gambit, a long-time familiar X-Man who has yet to appear on film. The ragin' Cajun was rumored to have a role in the third film, and his name (Remy Lebeau) appears on a computer screen in X-2. Sadly, no Gambit appeared in either film. Many fans were disappointed in X3 for this very reason.

The final of the three proposed films is entitled X-Men: First Class. Zak Penn was attached to write a spin-off film in 2007. He mentioned it as a film concentrated on the younger X-Men, perhaps the students themselves in the academy. By many means, it's not what we expect, but it could cash in on the High School Musical crowd. Thus far, only preliminary pre-production has taken place.

Is a fourth X-Men on the horizon? Perhaps. Right now, we'll have to see Wolverine, Magneto, and the younglings before any such attempt could be made. But there's still plenty of story arcs available in the source material, and more than one voice interested in pursuing the franchise. Even though Xavier died in the third film, a scene following the end credits features his character very much alive and well. And don't forget that scene with Magneto in the park before the credits. Is he overcoming the cure?

Then there's Rogue. She cured herself to continue her relationship with Bobby. Will it last? Lots of potential questions to answer. Fox made quite a bit of the franchise. We'll have to wait a few years, but another installment may yet make it to the big screen.