Last month atComic-Con, the casts ofFantastic Four,X-Men: ApocalypseandDeadpoolall assembled inHall Hto take an epic selfie. Shortly thereafter, a rumor surfaced that 20th Century Fox is in the early planning stages for a crossover movie that would bring theX-Menmutants and theFantastic Fourcharacters together in one movie. DirectorBryan Singereven confirmed that “those ideas are in play,” as many hoped the studio would confirm this epic movie soon. As it turns out, that may not be happening anytime soon, with producersSimon Kinbergand Hutch Parker tellingNew York Daily Newsthat they don’t have any current plans for anX-Men/Fantastic Four Crossover Movie. Did they change their mind after seeing the bad reviewsFantastic Fouris getting? Are they hedging their bets against the weekend box office? Are they waiting to see ifThe Fantastic Four 2gets canceled? Here’s what they had to say in a joint email statement, revealing that both franchises exist in different universes and a crossover probably won’t happen. These are close to statements we heard beforeBryan Singerconfirmed the crossover idea was in play at the studio.
“They exist in parallel universes. TheFantastic 4live in a world without mutants. And theX-Menlive in a world without the Fantastic 4. Crossing them over would be challenging, but we sure would love to see all those actors together, the way we had them on stage at (San Diego)Comic-Con.”
Ever since theMarvel Cinematic Universestarted taking off, “shared universes” have become hot commodities at several rival studios. Universal Pictures is putting together amonster movieuniverse based on their iconichorror moviecharacters, and Paramount put together a whole team of writers to developTransformers 5along with a slew of spinoffs and other sequels. Along withDeadpool,X-MenandFantastic Four, 20th Century Fox is also developing aGambitspinoff.
It’s possible that the studio is simply waiting to see howFantastic Fourperforms at thebox officebefore announcing any shared universe or crossover plans. While we’ll have to wait a few days for the box office results, the nation’s critics certainly haven’t responded favorably toFantastic Four. The superhero reboot has just a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with only 13 positive reviews out of 138. Then again, the blockbusterTransformers: Age of Extinctionwent on to earn over $1 billion worldwide with just an 18% rating, so anything is possible.
Would you head to the theaters to see theX-MenandFantastic Fourcharacters collide? Or do you think they should remain separate entities? Be sure to check back throughout the weekend to find out howFantastic Fourfares at the box office during its opening weekend. Chime in with your thoughts on this proposed crossover below.
