X-Men Days of Future Past Update...

Couldn't decide which to use, so I included both.

Let me just say that I love the fact that Singer is back in charge of the franchise. Having him involved as producer/writer on X-Men: First Class helped a lot to keep things cohesive.

(I'm still on the fence about X-Men: The Last Stand - does it work within continuity or not?)

But I admit I'm excited about this next movie. Even more so when you account for the additional casting:

and

I'm a sucker for consistency...

I had a really hard time getting over the artistic changes between character uses in the films versus the comics.

FOR INSTANCE...Wolverine's joining the X-Men in the first place. In the books, Kitty Pryde joined not long after Wolverine did, and it was his relationship with her that helped cement his place on the team. (In fact, their relationship was so strong, Marvel did the Wolverine & Kitty Pryde mini-series where they both went to Japan...but I'm getting away from myself...)

In the first animated series back in the nineties, it was Jubilee who just joined the team, and Wolverine became protective of her.

In X-Men, it was Anna Paquin's Rogue that Logan felt protective of. 

Hence my confusion and overall sense of "huh?"-ness to the first film.

But one thing about the films I never had an issue with - at all - was the casting.

Yeah, Hugh Jackman was a question mark - but no more so than Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man.

Plus, you could sense that Singer was trying to create a universe, not just a film. All the cameos thrown into X-Men showed us that. (The young woman in the stables brushing the white horse as Xavier showed Logan around? That's Dani "Mirage" Moonstar brushing Brightwind - her winged Asgardian stallion when she was one of the Valkyrie (not to be confused with Brunnhilde, the Asgardian warrior of the same name that was a New Defender for a while))

My point is that with Singer back, he's bringing lots of characters back...and the actors that portrayed them.

Now this may be seen as an "uh-oh" because there's been trouble in other films with too many characters <*cough*> X3 <*cough*>, but with Singer, he knows what he's doing.

My only question now is: will Millar get involved and try to work this film into Whedon's Avengers or the Amazing Spider-Man universe(s)? Or will the X-verse keep to itself?

Personally, I'd like to see the ruins of Stark Tower in the alternate timeline, thus cementing the two franchises together. 

As for the other two pillars of the MMU - Spider-Man and Fantastic Four - I'm still waiting on some level of commitment. Haven't seen Amazing yet, and don't think I ever will, because I thought Tobey did a great job and I can forgive Spider-Man 3 just as much as I can X3.

I'm also convinced that this summer's The Wolverine (July 26th) will have what I now call "the Singer touch".

But that's another blog...