Which X-men should get solo origin movies like the Avengers?

[remydat]

Spinning off from one of the other threads, I wanted to discuss which X-men are popular enough or have a good enough back story to star in an X-men Origin Movie. In looking at the Avengers movie franschise, I think part of the reason the Avengers was so huge is because Marvel invested the time and money into building the world by having Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, and Captain America movies that laid the groudwork for Avengers. So what those movies did in addition to making Marvel money is they created the feeling that what we were seeing with Avengers is an all-star team of heroes being put together. The problem I always saw with the X-men movies is they essentially were Wolverine origin stories. The rest of the characters simply existed to support the story they were telling regarding Wolverine and Jean Grey. Wolverine already has been introduced and XFC is essenitally Xavier and Mags story with a bunch of obscure X-men thrown in.

So now we need a few more X-men characters to get origin stories but characters that are popular enough and have a good enough backstory that they can make money as well. Characters like Cyke and JG would seem out because while popular they don't seem to have a back story that exciting. Bias aside, I think Gambit would be a good one given if you trace his story from being an orphan to the guilds to the Mutant Massacre with Sinister and the Marauders as the villains. You could show Sinister in the background manipulating his life, his friendship with Scalphunter, his early battles with Sabretooth and also create a few more run-ins with the Marauders prior to him assembling them during the massacre. You then could have one big massive fight with the Marauders during the MM which then allows you to bring in the other X-men for cameos and set up the next movie.

Point is on the X-men who do you think aside from (Xavier and Wolverine) should get a solo movie that establishes them while making money so that we can eventually reboot the X-men and in a team of established superheroes like the Avengers?

[Lady_Alternate]

I think that due to the large cast, and the intertwining nature of many of the stories, pairing people up for stories in a post-First Class world is a good way to go. If you like, and you want to see the story told in shades of grey, then focusing on one FXMU** X-Man and one Brotherhood member (Beast / Mystique, f.ex) in individual movies with cameos from the other members to world-build could work.

**Fox X-Men Universe. Like the MCU designation but, er, Foxier.

[remydat]

I think that due to the large cast, and the intertwining nature of many of the stories, pairing people up for stories in a post-First Class world is a good way to go. If you like, and you want to see the story told in shades of grey, then focusing on one FXMU** X-Man and one Brotherhood member (Beast / Mystique, f.ex) in individual movies with cameos from the other members to world-build could work.

**Fox X-Men Universe. Like the MCU designation but, er, Foxier.

That is a good idea actually. You could for example due a Gambit/Storm one showing how his time on the streets as a thief leading up to his involvement in the MM while you show Storm growing up on the streets leading up to her involvement in the MM on the other side. It would show how they grew up in similar circumstances but Gambit fell in with the wrong crowd including Sinister while Storm met Xavier. It would be a good meditation on nature vs nurture. Hell if you wanted to go off comic book continuity a bit you could have Storm and Gambit be acquainted with each other as kids and then during the MM Gambit catches a glimpse of Storm fighting against the marauders with the X-men and then wondering how different his life would have been if he met them instead of Sinister. You could then end it with Gambit saving Storm from the Shadow King (minus her being a kid) as his first act of redemption.

[RLAAMJR.]

I love Ororo Munroe and I wanna see the start of the movie with her parents falling in love. That way, we'll be able to see the kingdom of Storm's mother since her mother is a princess.

And of course the painful part when a plane crash to their house. That really sounds very, very dramatic

[dbcb314]

Gambit has the most interesting origin of the list you provided IMO. It would have to be streamed lined though for a movie. But you can easily use the thieves guild + maurunders + going good thing in a movie rather easily.

[Lady_Alternate]

That is a good idea actually. You could for example due a Gambit/Storm one showing how his time on the streets as a thief leading up to his involvement in the MM while you show Storm growing up on the streets leading up to her involvement in the MM on the other side. It would show how they grew up in similar circumstances but Gambit fell in with the wrong crowd including Sinister while Storm met Xavier. It would be a good meditation on nature vs nurture. Hell if you wanted to go off comic book continuity a bit you could have Storm and Gambit be acquainted with each other as kids and then during the MM Gambit catches a glimpse of Storm fighting against the marauders with the X-men and then wondering how different his life would have been if he met them instead of Sinister. You could then end it with Gambit saving Storm from the Shadow King (minus her being a kid) as his first act of redemption.

I'm full of good ideas; I'm just generally apathetic when it comes to chasing them up. Oh, how I long for minions.

[Perfection/Emma 2]

I voted Rogue, but would love to see a movie version origin for Emma. Dear God don't let January Jones play her either.

[Boozier]

I think that due to the large cast, and the intertwining nature of many of the stories, pairing people up for stories in a post-First Class world is a good way to go. If you like, and you want to see the story told in shades of grey, then focusing on one FXMU** X-Man and one Brotherhood member (Beast / Mystique, f.ex) in individual movies with cameos from the other members to world-build could work.

**Fox X-Men Universe. Like the MCU designation but, er, Foxier.

Agreed. Even though I hate Cyclops, even in the movies, I think their origin stories in one movie could prove excellent if in the right hands. Show them as teenage X-Men, falling in lurv and have flashbacks of their origins.

That is a good idea actually. You could for example due a Gambit/Storm one showing how his time on the streets as a thief leading up to his involvement in the MM while you show Storm growing up on the streets leading up to her involvement in the MM on the other side. It would show how they grew up in similar circumstances but Gambit fell in with the wrong crowd including Sinister while Storm met Xavier. It would be a good meditation on nature vs nurture. Hell if you wanted to go off comic book continuity a bit you could have Storm and Gambit be acquainted with each other as kids and then during the MM Gambit catches a glimpse of Storm fighting against the marauders with the X-men and then wondering how different his life would have been if he met them instead of Sinister. You could then end it with Gambit saving Storm from the Shadow King (minus her being a kid) as his first act of redemption.

This....would be an amazing movie!

[airdreams]

Emma Frost.

Actually FOX was exploring an X-movie based on her, which would be directed by David O. Russell (I love his The Fighter). And I'm sure as hell Charlize Theron would make a perfect Emma.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-06...ractions_x.htm

[Shiver]

I love Gambit, my favorite character but I'm so scared that they will 'eff up his movie like most of the X-Men titles.
So I vote OTHER, as in none. ^_^*


edit: A Emma Frost Orgins would be great to see but I rather a see HellFire Club cast movie. (with a new Sebastian actor).

[remydat]

I voted Rogue, but would love to see a movie version origin for Emma. Dear God don't let January Jones play her either.

Emma Frost.

Actually FOX was exploring an X-movie based on her, which would be directed by David O. Russell (I love his The Fighter). And I'm sure as hell Charlize Theron would make a prefect Emma.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-06...ractions_x.htm

Emma certainly has a rich backstory outside of the X-men but what will be the big draw? Her power is too much like Xaiver's which we have seen and her powers don't have the wow factor ie explosions, action so that will have to come from the supporting cast as you need something that can gross say 200-300 million.

[Drax1981]

I'm going with Rogue, with the caveat that she gets re-introduced with the Mystique relationship intact.
Mystique works like gangbusters in the movies so Rogue will get a bump from the association. There's a lot of action if you have them be Magneto's black ops team. Leading up to an event where Rogue ends up severely hurting or killing a hero and have that latent instinct to do right cause a rift that causes Rogue to finally switch sides.

[ohsnapulon5000]

Now is the time for Dazzler: The Movie. Directed by Robert Rodriguez, starring Marley Shelton.

otherwise---- I guess a STORM movie would work, i dunno.

[Sanji]

Emma Frost (as long as JJ doesn't play her), Gambit and Storm would all be great choices. A favourite of mine is Magik but it would probably be too expensive and involve too much magic for a mutant movie.

I'm not too keen on solo movies for the X-men, and the way they've set up FC, I don't think it would work. I'd rather see a movie where both Magneto and Xavier increase their troops by going around the world meeting new mutants, so we'd have a collection of backstories of these people, with a third movie more action and plot heavy - like Mass Effect 2 did, basically. Magneto could have Maggot, Karma and Wolfsbane; Xavier Calliso/Feral/anyone from the Morlocks, Sage and anyone from the Guthries. Icarus is my favourite and wings are always pretty. Those 10 seconds of Warren flying are still one of the most memorable scenes in X3.

[Parch]

Perhaps it's the history of solo titles, but the X-Men cast just doesn't have the same type of appeal as the Avenger cast.
But considering the success and future of that Avenger movie universe strategy, it's certainly a format that is worth copying even if it doesn't match the success. Marvel's got a major cash cow happening with those Avengers so something similar with the X-Men is worth attempting.

Wolverine certainly has the solo movie experience to start the process. Storm and Gambit could try solo movies.

Perhaps the best strategy might be "team" movies instead of solo movies. How about an X-Factor movie? Or an Uncanny X-Force movie? That type of movie universe might be a better fit for the various X-characters.