Heat Vision Q&A: Bryan Singer on 'X-Men: First Class,' 'Avatar' and more

Director Bryan Singer sent some shockwaves through the geek community last week when he revealed that he was returning to Fox's "X-Men" franchise with "X-Men: First Class." Singer was going to direct the third "X-Men" movie when he famously jumped over to Warner Bros. to make "Superman Returns," leaving many wondering "what if?" -- especially after "X2," widely considered one of the best of this decade's comic book movies.

Singer got on the phone to talk "First Class," his other projects such as New Line's fairy tale "Jack the Giant Killer" and what he thought of "Avatar."

Heat Vision: So how did you end up coming back to "X-Men"?

Bryan Singer: It started with a conversation between (Fox co-chairman) Tom Rothman and I some time ago. We not only concluded a deal, but I’ve written a pretty concise treatment. There’s a story that I really want to tell.

Heat Vision: What is the story?

Singer: I can’t tell you that; it’s secret. But it’s basically about the formation of the X-Men. How they began and the relationship between a young Xavier and a young Magneto.

Heat Vision: I remember when you left "X3" to do "Superman Returns." It wasn’t under the best of circumstances.

Singer: A lot of that was comical and exaggerated. When you set up a rather lucrative franchise and produce one of the company's biggest television shows ("House"), I think there is a lot of good energy on a business level.

But also, Tom Rothman and I have a very strong relationship from those early days of "X-Men 1" when he ascended to the chairmanship and I was involved in this very important movie for the studio. We bonded then. So I think he was frustrated then, as was I, because I couldn’t do a third "X-Men," but that moment of frustration passed.

We have always looked at different projects to do together, but the timing was never right to do something like this. But now, it's been about 10 years since the first "X-Men," and this is a nice opportunity to look back at the origins of that universe.

Heat Vision: Do you think the X-Men can exhaust themselves? You've got the original three, you've got "Wolverine," you've got a "Deadpool" and "Magneto" in the works ...

Singer: This story would probably utilize some of the Magneto story because it deals with a young Magneto, so it might supersede that because this would explore that relationship between a young energetic professor and a disenfranchised victim of the Holocaust.

But no, I don’t see an exhaustion. The X-Men universe is boundless. These are great characters. And as young characters, they are quite different than the characters we have seen in the contemporary movies.

Heat Vision: Would you do "Jack the Giant Killer" first?

Singer: Right now that is the plan. Unless there's a problem in the development process. There is a script for "Jack"; we're in visual development. We've got artwork and pre-viz that we are doing. But you never know how things go.

I have a writer named Jamie Moss working on "First Class."

Heat Vision: Why did you choose to work with him?

Singer: He's a really good writer, and of the writers I met with, he interpreted my story the best and brought the most to it. Because I'm so actively involved in the script development of my movies, I'm very hands-on, I need a certain kind of writer and a certain kind of availability to me. And he fit that bill. He's quite talented.

Heat Vision: And what is going on with "Battlestar Galactica" (the big-screen take on the TV show) and the other projects?

Singer: We just concluded a deal for "Battlestar Galactica," and we’re looking for a writer. And for "Excalibur," we’re still in negotiations. Those are the  four directorial projects that I and my company are involved in.

Heat Vision: So are you still looking for more projects?

Singer: From an event movie development position, it's a healthy slate for me, it's things that I'm passionate about. But you never know. In between two big movies, a smaller, more character-driven movie can fit. I'm never opposed that. "Valkyrie" was supposed to be that, and it turned out to be bigger than it was intended to be.

I enjoy these large canvas movies, I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, and my company produces a lot of things that allow me to do smaller, character-driven projects.

Heat Vision: You took a breather after "Valkyrie," but over the past few months you have become attached to some big projects. What made you come out of your self-imposed exile, if you will?

Singer: Well I have been working a lot, on producorial stuff. When you have a company, you have five or six film projects in development, some TV, like the one I’m doing with Bryan Fuller called "SelleVision" for NBC, but when you’re shooting abroad, it's frustrating because you can't devote a lot of time for them.

So when I was through with "Valkyrie," I was able to devote eight or nine months to that and also take some personal time for my family. And then focus on these. These are big undertakings.

So it appears as a self-imposed exile but I was actually working quite a bit. And as a result, now these projects are coming to fruition. So when I go presumably to London to make "Jack,"  a lot of these things will be running at my company and I’ll be able to enjoy the (film) process in London.

Heat Vision: What did you think of "Avatar"?

Singer: It was very cool. I had seen 30-40 minutes before, but the whole thing was amazing. From the beginning, with those shots in space, I felt goosebumps. It was inspiring. I’m going back and forth, debating, on using 3D for "Jack," and it pushed me a little closer in the 3D direction.

Heat Vision: Just a little bit?

Singer: 3D is a little daunting. And then there's the decision of, do you shoot in 3D, or do you post in 3D? And how to achieve that? I have a very good visual effect supervisor on "Jack" who has a lot of 3D character experience.

Heat Vision: What are your holiday plans?

Singer: I go to Hawaii. I go to the same hotel, I sit in the same room, and then I get bored of vacationing in two days then I go to a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in a strip mall overlooking a parking lot in Oahu and I work.

A lot of good work has come out of those sessions in that Coffee Bean. I feel very energized and not distracted. It’s a local strip mall with Hawaii people who have no idea who I am. They just know I am always there around the holidays and working on stuff.

Comments

[jeter park]

I DON'T CARE IF DIRECTS 10 MORE XMEN. JUST DON'T
LET HIM NEAR SUPERMAN.
THANK YOU.

[Tim1965]

Well, there won't be another "Superman" movie now, anyway. Warners has aleady mothballed plans to do a sequel. The copyrights to "Superboy" are reverting to the Siegel family in two years, and the Siegels have already said they won't ask Warner Bros. to do that movie. (Watch for them to go with some pathetic indie film studio that will make the film bomb.) The Shuster estate is also seeking a return of the Superman copyrights to them as well.

Imagine: At least four projects in four years, with post on one film overlapping with pre on another. No wonder the quality of Singer's films is dropping fast.

[Kevin]

I'm disappointed that Brian Singer is back because he can't even properly write a character like Cyclops. He can't write a Team movie.

And he's also responsible for the Death of Superman.

[Folsäure]

ts about time X-Men had some good news. Now Bryan Singer can attempt to fix the mess that Brett Ratner made of the series, with The Last Stand.

[Michael]

Kevin -- you're right that Cyclops got the shaft in the X-Men movies. But he's really the only one. I thought Singer utilized the team pretty elegantly in both his movies.

[galacticadude]

Battlestar Galactica! I can only hope it'll be based on the original series.

[MisterPL]

Ratner made a very successful X-Men movie in the wake of Singer going all "Wrath of Khan" on the second one like he intended to do with a Superman sequel. The guy's creatively bankrupt if all that inspires him is one Star Trek movie.

[Trailertracker.wordpress.com]

I feel strangely opinionated about all of these projects. I'm glad that he's back on X-Men, I wish he could make another Superman with Brandon Routh, I'm excited about Sellevision, I couldn't care less about Excalibur and I hate that he thinks he needs to make a Battlestar remake. I think that last point supersedes the others.

[TimothyJames]

I wonder if Singer will be working with XMen producer Tom DeSanto on this new film. Singer has not had a success since he stopped working with him. I really liked what DeSanto did with Transformers, at least the first one anyway.

[Ryan]

I have no idea why everyone bags Superman Returns - I thought it was the best of all the Superman movies to date and Brandon Routh was fantastic as the lead. Brett Ratner destroyed the X-Men franchise - who the hell was he to kill off some of the main characters in the universe? It was Ratner once again trying to make his mark, and failing dismally, destroying something great in the process. Singer's X-Men movies were great movies that set the benchmark for how a superhero movie should be, and was the reason we have enjoyed so many good movies since.

[warrioRR]

Well i like fantasy movies

[davinder]

yeah me too!!!!

[Scotty D.]

I have heard from multiple sources within the FOX organization that when Matthew Vaughn was hired to take over the X-men from Bryan Singer, that there was a two film arc/story that FOX and Vaughn were going to produce and complete. There was going to be an X4! It involved the Phoenix and that all the characters who were supposedly killed in X3 were not actually killed, but that they were somehow taken by Apocolypse just before they were supposedly killed by the Phoenix/Jean Grey and were either going to serve as Four Horsemen or become enslaved for Sinister to experiment on to harness their powers for reasons I wasn't told. When Matthew Vaughn took his ball and ran home, there was major rewrites on the X3 script once Ratner was hired to only make one film. At that time and with that short of prep time for a new director, Ratner was the most experienced guy who could do it, though i'm told even Rothman wasn't happy at all with Ratner, but he had no choice. He had the film due out in May of '06 and production needed to get going to become completed. Also, he knew the film no matter the quality was going to be the motherload financially. So the decision was made to continue with X3 and not X4. And no X4 meant no Apocolypse. So instead the consensus is that all the characters who were disintegrated by Phoenix in X3, are officially dead.

[Peter]

dear brian!

please give BSG a rest. altough the tvseries was not so good in the last season, they take on BSG was pretty amazing. they went retro, and displayed a realistic future (no laser beams, no aliens, old style telephones) a complete different concept with less kitsch! the cast was so wonderful even if the episode sucked (which at the beginning rarely happend) it was just a pleasure to watch these people act! the effects were good and ronald d moore, he is really one of us ! a geek and sci fi lover and a classic culture and pop culture intellectual - he really poored his heartblood in!!!! together with the crew in and with vancouver they have really brought usvery special television with an epic story! i dont understand why it never went supernova (here in europe never really made it into the counsciousness of the public) but it must have been some network mumbojumbo and less promotion whatever. BSG is till gleaming via The Plan and Caprica and DVD sales... you cannot do really have here a alternative timeline with different versions of BSG that would nobody take serious - its just too star trek! and a new version would just ignore the last version and that would piss of a lot of fans and its just doenst make sense.
you and ronald should rather find a way and try to expand the last version, reimagine the reimagination guys. the cast is so great, they are still young - try to put really money on screen like star trek did now. refit the galactica - make the cylon robotic again with some leaders that are humancylons and make the more menacing!!! let them battle for earth please try to find a solution for that tv-ending to ressurect the BSG. i also accept, that it was all in baltars head and they are back on new caprica etc.!!! it was all a dream!!! but please do it that way!

with best whishes for vienna, austrian
peter

[John M]

I'm happy to hear that Bryan Singer is returning finally to X-Men! I love the franchise and can't wait to see "First Class". I hope Singer does more X-Men after that aswell. Please let Bryan [Singer] direct X-Men 4 once all the prequels are done!

- John M

[Tom]

Singer's Superman has been unnecessarily slammed. It was not a bad movie at all, it just needed a follow-up quickly to address what was a foundation story. I am sad we'll never see what story that had Superman's involved would be like. Hollywood Sucks!

[linda]

This show is simply amazing. It's beautifully written, the story is riveting, and Starbuck is hot. What more could a sci-fi fan want? Highly recommended. The box set is pretty cool, too. Every episode (some extended), every extra clip, commentary, and it came with it's own Cylon.

[zoewhite]

Very enjoyable. Like your article. That's what I am looking for.

[Joey]

It's amazing how many different variation of the X-men they will come out with. But hey, if it sells then push it all the way. You know people will buy it no matter what. I have been a fan of the X-men since a youth and just prefer the originals. Thanks for sharing.

[Jeff Archuleta]

http://vimeo.com/7761485
Expertly shot & edited. Done with so much insight & attention to detail that most women who see it can't believe it was created by a man.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0033811/
jeff, great job on your short.
> very clean. i am impressed
> peace
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1843310/