‘X-Men’ Producers Want Jennifer Lawrence to Star in Mystique Spinoff Film
There once was a time when many X-Men spinoffs were proposed - including Magneto, Gambit and Deadpool films - but none actually happened. With a new regime at Fox, the 'X-Men' producers want to revisit the idea of mutant spinoffs and they have a new character in their sights: Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique.
Mystique plays a very important role in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' which shouldn't be very surprising when that character is played by an Oscar-winning actress and the biggest movie star of 2013. Even with the insanely talented 'X-Men' cast (including Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender and many, many others), Lawrence took front-and-center stage when the cast appeared on the recent cover of Entertainment Weekly. Inside the magazine, the film's producers talked about the character taking on a front-and-center role in her own movie.
Lauren Shuler-Donner, who has produced all the 'X-Men' movies, said that she is "interested in taking that character into a solo film," while also continuing to work on 'Gambit' and 'Deadpool' movies. Simon Kinberg, who wrote 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' and is helping Fox plan their own little expanded universe of Marvel characters with the 'Fantastic Four' film, added:
I love what Jen Lawrence has done with her, and I feel like because she is in such a crowded ensemble, there’s so much more opportunity if you were to follow her solo.
Given that Lawrence is one of the most popular and bankable actors of her generation, it should be no surprise that studios and producers want to work with her. But, let's be honest: the reason Jennifer Lawrence is in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' is because she signed a multi-picture deal before 'The Hunger Games' became a huge hit. That is her franchise and we can't see her putting those films aside to work on a solo 'Mystique' movie.
It's a nice thought and a nice gesture on behalf of the 'X-Men' creative team - certainly one they should at least broach with the actress, whether publicly or privately - but we don't expect this tree to bear any fruit. More than likely, Lawrence will play out her 'X-Men' contract (which includes the already-planned sequel, 'X-Men: Apocalypse') and return to more personal projects.
'X-Men: Days of Future Past' opens in theaters on May 23.