Release date: May 22nd The only direct sequel on the list earns its place partly on the basis of being a follow-up to two separate narratives and time periods (three, if you count The Wolverine's credits sting). Director Bryan Singer is rounding up the usual suspects both from the near future set original X-Men trilogy and the swinging sixties reboot/prequel X-Men: First Class to make a story that jumps between the past and an apocalyptic dystopian future. With Fox trying to make an event movie from their stable of Marvel characters to match what Disney did with theirs on The Avengers, Days of Future Past could be something really big, provided they manage to wrangle two large ensembles, new characters including Peter Dinklage's Bolivar Trask, and a complex time jumping plot revolving around Hugh Jackman's ever-present Wolverine. The difficulties of marshalling such a sprawling cast of characters have already been felt, with Anna Paquin's Rogue, the female lead in the original X-movie, being left on the cutting room floor. Fortunately the cast still features two more Oscar winning actresses and two knights of the realm. It's the return of these latter, perennially chummy Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, as best frenemies telepath Professor Xavier and metal manipulator Magneto that has got fans really excited. Or, to be more specific, it's the chance to see them alongside their younger James McAvoy-Michael Fassbender selves (although whether the two timeframes will allow the two generations to share screen time remains to be seen).
