#SDCC 2013: Surprise! The Entire X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Cast Is Here
20th Century Fox had a "surprise" press conference on deck after the Wolverine press conference, and I know we were all hoping it would be exactly what it was: squeezing X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer, writer Simon Kinberg, producer Lauren Shuler Donner and stars Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Peter Dinklage, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Omar Sy, Evan Peters and Shawn Ashmore onto a tiny stage. It was a huge love fest with the stars of the old X-Men movies and the new celebrating the chance to work together, and with Hugh Jackman just holding court. That guy is good with a mic. And I cannot emphasize enough how completely dashing both McKellen and Stewart were. Utterly rad gentlemen, the both of them.
Some tidbits:
* Kinberg: This is one of the most beloved comic storylines. With approaching any beloved comic, it’s about figuring out what’s fundamental to those characters and themes. The biggest difference is that Kitty’s not the one who goes back in time, Kitty’s the one who sends someone back in time. It’s Wolverine who goes back in time.
* Singer said there will be some changes to the continuity of the earlier films. "That's the nature of time travel." He called the film, in relation to the other movies, "an inbetweequel."
* Singer: It's nice that Hugh was able to play both the younger and older versions of his character since Wolverine is ageless, which is extremely unique.
* Stewart: The best part has been knowing that in an earlier time in my life, I was James McAvoy.
* McAvoy: And if I had to grow up to be anybody, how cool is to be Sir Patrick Stewart, star of stage and screen?
* McKellen: I’m looking forward to one day being as dashing and successful as Michael Fassbender!...We can’t really believe our luck, can we, that we’re still allowed out? Also playing a character for four films, it’s fun to go back to the character and realize that he’s still lurking inside you. These stories are so neat to be told. That’s what I like about the X-Men movies. These aren’t casual movies. These aren’t summer vacation movies. They’re classics. To be allowed to be associated with them is a genuine honor, it’s a genuine honor. It doesn’t matter how little I have to do in the next, Bryan, I’ll be ready and waiting.
Stewart: Hear, hear!
Jackman: Hear, hear!
* Stewart: I heard about this film and I felt such sadness, because most of you probably won’t recall [joking], but in the third movie I was vaporized, which rather quite hurt. And I thought I wouldn’t be able to return, it would be Hugh and Halle and Ian but not me. But something happened.
Singer: There’s a beat at the end of X-Men 3 where his consciousness is in a woman in the hospital. You take that and mix in mutant powers...
McKellen: So does that mean Xavier has returned, Bryan?
Singer: For the moment.
McAvoy: That should be the catchphrase of the movie. [In grave trailer voice]: XAVIER HAS RETURNED...for the moment.
* Someone asked Jackman who his favorite X-man other than Wolverine is, and I wish to god I could transcribe this but the man is so quick-witted and silver-tongued, I'll have to paraphrase. He said that of course it's an honor to work with all of these characters because they're all so wide and varied, but he made every other word a muttered "Storm": "it's (storm) such (storm) an (storm) honor (storm)." We were all cracking up by the end. "Listen, any chance I get to work with Halle Berry, I'm going to. It's okay if I say that, we're both married."
* Berry: In the first movie, we all became such good friends. We really like each other, we really like being around each other. To hang out with the people we really admire and respect and want to be around, we picked up as if we just saw each other yesterday, and it was so great meeting the new cast but also hanging out with my friends.
* Lawrence: We became so close on First Class, and after I got the movie, I went and watched the older films, so I’m a recent but huge fan. And I never though that I’d be able to meet some of the original cast, so it’s really great.
* Singer talked about bringing the First Class actors to the original, iconic halls of the X-Mansion for this film, and how eerie and important it felt to have all of them there. He said as Lawrence stood in those halls in her costume, she turned to him and said, "'Can I see Cerebro?' And I said, 'Sure, you can see Cerebro.'"
McAvoy: "That's not a euphemism. She was already cast by this point."
* Page: I was 18 [when I filmed X-Men 3], and it feels like a long time ago...Never did I think I'd be back playing Kitty Pryde again.
* McAvoy: I had an experience when I was doing Narnia, I walked into the room and there was a massive lion, and it was Aslan, and I went down on my knees and I went, like, "My king," because I've loved those books for so long. And I’d never really had that experience again until I did scenes with Hugh and Patrick and Ian, and I didn’t quite go on my knees, but it was like touching an icon.
Lawrence, teasing: When you were on your knees?
McAvoy: Yes, I touched their icons when I was on my knees.
* McKellen: The best thing about playing older Magneto is there's no helmet.
Singer: You don't like the helmet?
McKellen, menacingly: We'll talk about the helmet later.
