James McAvoy Hints at His Return for New X-Men Film… But Which One? – 2.27.17

With it confirmed that Logan will be Patrick Stewart‘s (Star Trek) last appearance as the iconic character Professor X, it seems like James McAvoy(Split) is stepping up to the plate in a big way.

A few days ago, James McAvoy posted this pic to instagram:

Predictably, the internet exploded with speculation. While it was clear that McAvoy was referring to reprising his role as young-Professor X, the real question was this:

Which X-Men project was James McAvoy referring to?

The man not Professor Charles Xavier (in both pictures) is Simon David Kinberg, who is a known producer of the reboot X-Men films, two of which he also co-wrote. It’s therefore logical to assume that the film to which McAvoy is referring to is the upcoming X-Men: Supernova; especially considering that Kinberg has been rumored to not only write the X-Men: Apocalypse sequel, but also to make his directorial debut on it.

While this has not yet been confirmed, it has been confirmed that Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) will be returning as Jean Grey, which only fuels the rumors that the plot of X-Men: Supernova will attempt to take on the Dark Phoenix storyline. And, hopefully, do a far better job than the now-retconned X-Men: The Last Stand film did.

Now I know what you’re thinking. With all this evidence, why is there any debate on which project McAvoy is referring to?

Well, it’s because James McAvoy has also been (basically) confirmed to return as Professor X in the upcoming X-Men: The New Mutants film. While McAvoy‘s involvement is still technically only rumored, Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has been confirmed as the director for the project.

Speaking of Josh Boone and things that have / haven’t been confirmed, Maisie Williams (also Game of Thrones) has long been rumored to star in the film as Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane. And, on February 11th, Josh tweeted this:

As you can see, Maisie has been tagged in the tweet. Now whether or not this is Josh saying that she’s 100% confirmed for the role is still, well… unconfirmed. Man, these X-Men types like to drop vague hints more than Wolverine drops “bubs.”

Anyway, both projects have been rumored to start filming this summer (I know, again with the rumors). Two projects, one with two confirmed actors and one unconfirmed director, the other with a confirmed directed but two unconfirmed actors. Are both being filmed, or just one while they iron out the deets on the other? A lot is still up in the air, but one question still remains:

Which Stark girl will McAvoy be working with this summer? Sansa or Arya? Or will he pull double-duty and work with both?

Only time will tell. Well, time, or the next vague unconfirmed hint or clue that someone related to the X-Men films drops, which will just whip the rumor-mills into overdrive again.

Until then, here’s a New Mutants cinematic that I found on YouTube. Although it’s doubtful that it has anything to do with the actual film (and it has no audio), it’s action-packed enough to warrant a watch. And, if it is an animated scene from the script, then I have a lot of questions. What’s Illyana Rasputin aka Magik doing with Kitty Pryde‘s dragon, Lockheed? Why is Wolfsbane pushing a gurney with an unconscious Dani Moonstar aka Mirage upon it (and why is she unconscious)? And why are Sam Guthrie aka Cannonball‘s hands and arms bandaged?

So many questions, each more intriguing than the last. But don’t just take my word for it; watch the video:

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED WITH POP CULTURE PIPE BOMB, ON FEBRUARY 27, 2017.