*BAM* *POW* Comic Book Movie News Aint Just For Kids Anymore

[Lumenskir]

So it's been quite the morning for semi-solid rumors and forebodings concerning comic book movies.

First up, it appears that the new X-Men movie is going to be ripping off that one Heroes storyline where they see a powers-unfriendly future and have to change the past to prevent it. I'm sure the addition of time travel will surely satisfy all of the fans who were upset that X-Men: First Class didn't fit into the carefully constructed continuity established by That One X-Men Movie Where The Juggernaut Actually Said "I'm the Juggernaut, Bitch!" X-Men 3 and That One X-Men Movie Where They Let Will.I.Am Have A Prominent Role X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
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Matthew Vaughn is hard at work prepping his next film in Fox's successfully reinvigorated "X-Men" franchise, and thanks to someone sending in a tip to Ain't It Cool News, we now have some idea of where they're headed.

I called the MPAA's Title Registration Bureau today to double-check the tip, and it is indeed true. Fox recently locked down "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" as a title, and for anyone who is a longtime fan of the comics, that is very, very interesting news.

It seems strange to look back at some of what are considered the biggest and most significant storylines in comics weren't originally published as mega-events like we see from Marvel and DC today. When they publish something like "Civil War" or "House Of M" or "Flashpoint" or the various "Crisis" events, they make those huge deals, with multiple authors, with dozens of comics involved, with tons of hype, and those events drive the entire publishing year for the companies.

In 1981, Marvel published the "Days Of Future Past" storyline as part of the regular run of "The Uncanny X-Men," and while it may have blown the minds of regular readers, it was hardly a major media event outside the comic world. In the 31 years since, though, it has become one of the best-loved stories published during the entire run of the title, and for good reason. Chris Claremont and John Byrne were on fire at that point, doing some of the best work that anyone's ever done with the X-Men, and when X-Men fans talk about the overall series, many of the things they consider essential or defining about the characters come from Claremont and Byrne's time in charge.

When Matthew Vaughn came onboard the series with "X-Men: First Class," he was working under enormous pressure to get a film together, and he ended up delivering something surprisingly rich and robust in what had to be a difficult work situation. Now, with that hit under his belt and the studio more confident about what he'll do, Vaughn's in a good position to try to tackle the storyline which was one of the stories considered for both "X-Men 2" and "X-Men 3" at various points in the development process.

There have been many questions about how they plan to connect these new "X-Men" films to the movies that Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner made, and while there are any number of story points that don't match up if you pay close attention, it still seems like Fox has an opportunity to try to connect both versions in some fun and clever ways, and if they plan to do it, "Days Of Future Past" seems like the perfect place to start.

After all, this is a story that deals with alternate timelines and an attempt to stop one possible future from taking place. When the future version of Kitty Pryde reaches out to the present version and shows the X-Men a world where Sentinels monitor the streets and all mutants live in work camps, the X-Men realize they have to stop the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Kelly, whose death will kick of a new era of mutant hatred.

The "X-Men" animated series in the '90s adapted one version of the story, and they did another version of it in "Wolverine and the X-Men," so they've certainly mined this material before. The difference here would be seeing a live-action large scale version of it, and I'm curious to see if the future that Vaughn creates features some familiar faces.

After all, I'd pay $15 to see Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen side by side in matching Magneto helmets, and I'm guessing I'm not alone.

The "X-Men: First Class" sequel will arrive in theaters July 2014.

Next, they've hired a screenwriter for the Justice League movie. With Batman ending and Super Dark Gritty Fast-Then-SloMo Superman coming, I'm guessing they're going to try for a reverse-Avengers where they have the big team up movie showcasing the broad strokes of everyone, and then have single-hero movies to deepen the universe. Hopefully they stick with the original plan of having the John Stewart Green Lantern, but that they also do a better overall casting job than last time (Adam Brody as the Flash??).

Speaking of black superheroes, Black Panther is rumored to be the next Marvel stand alone after Captain America 2. I don't really know much about the character, other than the fact that I'm now going to spend a bunch of time hoping that Michael B. "Chronicle" Jordan or John "Attack the Block" Boyega gets snapped up for the role quickly.
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One of the most anticipated announcements of the year will most likely take place at this year's San Diego Comic-Con when Marvel is expected to confirm which of their properties will be the source for their next original superhero title. Obviously "Iron Man 3" just began production (you can see the first still from the film here), and they're casting bad guys for "Thor 2," and chances are they're going to get really serious about "The Avengers 2" sometime soon.

But what of the rest of the Marvel Universe? Edgar Wright has been working towards making "Ant-Man" based on a script he's co-writing with Joe Cornish, but with the word that he's going to be shooting the final film in his Cornetto trilogy this fall, it seems less likely that "Ant-Man" is coming next. Marvel poobah Kevin Feige has spoken many times about how much he wants to figure out "Doctor Strange" for the big-screen, but there hasn't been any word on when or if that will happen.

Today, El Mayimbe at Latino Review is reporting that he knows which movie is scheduled next, and if he's right, we're about to meet a new Avenger.

Mark Bailey was brought onboard to write a script for the film last year, and that's the last we heard about it. Mayimbe says that his sources now believe this film is set as the next greenlight that Marvel will give, making it one of the 2014 releases.

They've certainly laid some groundwork in the Marvel films so far, including Wakanda on a video screen map in "Iron Man 2" and using vibranium, an element that comes exclusively from Wakanda, in Captain America's shield. By laying in Easter Eggs like that in the various movies, Marvel keeps their options open, and it means that when they get a script they like and casting comes together, they can move forward, knowing that they've already got enough groundwork laid that it doesn't feel like they're just wedging something brand new into the world they've been building so carefully.

The Black Panther is a major part of the most recent animated iteration of "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," which is a sharply-told, well-made series that works to unite both younger audiences and a more adult fanbase. Marvel's been smart about using the animated world to introduce characters to kids so that if they do make a movie about a character, they're not having to start at zero. He was also a big part of the Lionsgate Marvel movies, including "Ultimate Avengers 2."

There have been many attempts to bring the character to the bigscreen over the last few years, with directors like Reginald Hudlin taking their shot and with stars like Wesley Snipes eager to put on the suit. If this is indeed the next priority for Marvel Studios, they're going to have to find a lead actor who can become that character for the next decade, so expect them to cast a wide net.

We'll be paying close attention to this, and if there is news about a director or a cast starting to come together, we'll have that here for you as well. In the meantime, we'll be watching Marvel closely, as will everyone, to see if they can build off of the worldwide goodwill towards "The Avengers" as they kick off phase two of their overall Marvel Movie Universe plan.