Whatever audiences might think about Fox's original X-Men trilogy, most would agree that casting was close to perfection. Aside from Hugh Jackman and the ever-popular Wolverine, the franchise has not seen many of the original cast return, at least not in any significant way. The closest they had come was at the very end of X-Men: Days of Future Past (directed by Bryan Singer), in which most, if not all of the original cast appeared for a brief cameo.
Now that Disney has acquired Fox and the X-Men are set for an introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans are wondering whether or not the classic members will make a return to the big screen. At least one member of the original cast seems optimistic. In an interview with ComicBook.com, James Marsden, who played Cyclops, recently expressed that he would be happy to return should the opportunity arise.
The actor clearly isn't worried about the how or why, stating, "I think that world, there just are no rules. You can do whatever you want," said Marsden. "If there's some iteration down the line where we're involved... that's been a special thing to be a part of for a good period of my life and I love those fans and I love playing that character so, yeah, I'd be totally open to that."
Several actors have played Cyclops throughout the franchise's history, including Tim Pocock in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (directed by Gavin Hood) and, more recently, Tye Sheridan, who has played the laser-eyed mutant since X-Men: Apocalypse (directed by Bryan Singer). Aside from the brief cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse, Marsden last appeared as Cyclops in X-Men: The Last Stand (directed by Brett Ratner), in which the character fell victim to the Dark Phoenix.
Whatever the MCU has planned for the X-Men, it is unlikely to be announced until long after X-Men: Dark Phoenix has been released and the last of the Fox films has been completed. In any case, the story of the X-Men will be coming to an end soon in Dark Phoenix.
Written and directed by Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters and Jessica Chastain. The film is scheduled to be released on Jun. 7.