After seeing last year’s brilliant X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, a loose prequel to the Bryan Singer / Brett Ratner series of films, many fans (myself included) were hoping and praying that Matthew Vaughn, along with the rest of the cast, would come back to see if they could make the magic happen once again. The majority of the cast was signed on for multi-picture deals, so there was not really a concern that we wouldn’t see Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy reclaim their spots as the Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. of the mutant universe respectfully as Magneto and Professor X. The main concern came down to whether or not we would see Matthew Vaughn, who against all odds (two critically sub-par previous movies in X-MEN: THE LAST STAND and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, a short production window, and fan outrage over continuity) turned in one of the most solid films in the X-Universe, not to mention all of 2011, would return to take the story to the next chapter. Today, thanks to Deadline, we now know that Mr. Vaughn will indeed be returning.
Deadline is reporting:
Fox has just closed a deal with Matthew Vaughn to come back and direct the sequel to X-Men: First Class, with Simon Kinberg writing the script and Bryan Singer back as producer.
Back before the first FIRST CLASS came out, Matthew Vaughn was throwing around ideas about where he would like to see the sequel go. Speaking to HitFix last year:
“I’ve got some ideas for the opening for the next film. I thought it would be fun to open with the Kennedy Assassination, and we reveal that the magic bullet was controlled by Magneto. That would explain the physics of it, and we see that he’s pissed off because Kennedy took all the credit for saving the world and mutants weren’t even mentioned. And we could go from there, and I’ve got some fun ideas about what other mutants to bring in. I don’t want to tempt fate, though. If the film’s a hit, of course I’d be interested. I really enjoyed making it.”
Well, we all know the first film was a hit, both critically and financially, so does that mean we will see Magneto as the explanation for the “magic bullet” in the X-Men sequel? At this point, we can’t say anything for sure. All we can say is, Matthew Vaughn and company are back again. Let’s hope lighting strikes twice.
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS was released on June 3, 2011 and went on to make $146,408,305 domestically and a total of $353,624,124 world wide according to Box Office Mojo. No release date or plot details have been released as of yet for X-MEN: FIRST CLASS 2 but keep it tuned to BigFanboy and as the details emerge, we will be right here to keep you informed.
What are your thoughts? Are you excited that Matthew Vaughn is coming back? What new characters would you like to see including your choice / idea for villain(s)?
Jim is an avid movie enthusiast, representing the general movie going audience, looking at movies for their entertainment value as opposed to their critical weight. He enjoys the escapism that movies provide. He is a fan of all genre's of movies, but gravitates toward comic-based movies, summer "popcorn" flicks and over-the-top comedies as his preference. 
