Given how X-Men: Apocalypse seriously underperformed compared to X-Men: Days Of Future Past, it's little wonder that Fox is now reportedly considering pushing the reset button on the X-Men series.
A report by THR has said that Simon Kinberg, who is now shepherding the franchise currently for Fox, is working on a script for the next X-Men and that Bryan Singer will not be returning for the next one. Moreover, the contracts for Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, James McAvoy as Professor Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto have all expired and will require a lot of money to renegotiate.
That said, sources also indicate that Kinberg's script is being written with the view that Lawrence, McAvoy, Fassbender et al will still be involved - however unlikely that may be. Couple this with the fact that Hugh Jackman is departing the franchise with James Mangold's Logan and it's not all that hard to believe that Fox is considering a reboot of the franchise.
The question is, of course, whether or not Fox has any new stories and new ideas in mind for X-Men and whether audiences will respond to them. Although it might be the best possible outcome, a deal with Disney / Marvel Studios ala Sony's deal for Spiderman is highly unlikely. Fox already has Legion on FX ready to go in the new year and it's understood that Gambit will enter production once Channing Tatum completes filming on Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky.
With Bryan Singer out of the picture and Matthew Vaughn unlikely to get involved with X-Men again - especially considering he's building Kingsman as his own franchise - it all depends on who next takes up the reins to direct the next X-Men film.
Sound off in the comments with your own suggestions!
Via THR