XMen First Class

Studio lines up writer for ‘X-Men: First Class’

Twentieth Century Fox (US) is gearing up to continue its “X-Men” franchise with a younger set of mutants.


“Gossip Girl” creator Josh Schwartz has been tapped to write “X-Men: First Class.”

 

Fox is keeping quiet on plans and declined to confirm details of the project. The studio has been considering ways to continue its successful series of “X-Men” movies after the third installment, the Brett Ratner-helmed “X-Men: The Last Stand,” collected $459 million in 2006.

 

Fox has been leaning toward using the younger characters introduced in the previous pics in future installments — teenagers with powers taught at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.

 

The resulting film would likely draw from elements of the Marvel comic of the same name, launched in 2006, and enlist such characters as Iceman, Rogue, Angel, Colossus, Jubilee and Shadowcat, who have appeared prominently or made cameos in prior pics.