Fox Chief Talks 'X-Men' Sequel Release Date, 'Chronicle' Director On 'Fantastic Four'

An "X-Men: First Class" sequel is scheduled to begin shooting next January, with director Matthew Vaughn back in place to tell the next chapter in Professor Charles Xavier and Erik "Magneto" Lensherr's lives. The original "First Class" surprised many fans with high-caliber performances from leads James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, a compelling villain played by Kevin Bacon, wonderfully imaginative uses of mutant powers and the film's 1960s setting. It's no wonder that Fox is eager to return to that well — though fans won't get to see the fruits of their labor for quite some time.

"We're going to start shooting January 2013 for [a release date of] either Christmas 2013, or Summer 2014," Fox chief Tom Rothman told MTV News at CinemaCon this week. "The script is in development now. Matt, Simon Kinberg and Jane Goldman are working on it now."

It's a good start, even if Christmas 2013 or — dare we say it — Summer 2014 seem criminally far away. But we'll have plenty of other superhero goodness to look forward to from the Fox gang, including David Slade's "Daredevil" and a new "Fantastic Four" reboot. Even though rumors of "Chronicle" director Josh Trank tackling "Fantastic Four" seemed to die down in recent months, Rothman insists that Trank is still his first choice for the job.

"I'm hopeful," said Rothman. "I think Josh is going to come onto 'Fantastic Four' and develop that."

Fox is also developing a "Chronicle" sequel, though Rothman said the studio "won't just make a sequel to make one." The story needs to be there, one that maintains the "honesty and integrity" of the original. We wholeheartedly agree.

What do you think of the "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and "Chronicle" news? Tell us what you think in the comments section or hit us up on Twitter!