After the success of X2, Bryan Singer had planned to return for a third instalment, but the problem was 20th Century Fox. They continued to drag their feet whenever Singer asked about beginning work on a third film. So with no start date in sight, Singer accepted the task of directing a Superman reboot for Warner Bros. This pissed off Fox, who said they would fast-track a third X-Men film and force Singer to choose. Singer chose Superman Returns and Fox went ahead with X-Men 3 with a new director. Matthew Vaughn was brought onto the film, but he later backed out, in part because he didnt think the short production schedule could do the movie justice. Enter Brett Ratner, who was apparently okay with that challenge. He charged through production like a bull in a china shop, providing a film that was slapped together with so many characters and elements forced into it. In one movie, we get a new and larger Brotherhood, a new team of X-Men, a mutant cure, and the Dark Phoenix all strung together, with almost no time devoted to developing any of them. Despite enjoying success at the box office, the film was rightly criticised by both moviegoers and fans alike. Cyclops and Professor X were killed pretty much solely for shock value, and the Dark Phoenix Saga, one of the greatest X-Men stories ever, was reduced to a footnote. Rumour has it that Singers return to directing the X-Men in Days of Future Past will also mean a bit of a reboot of the timeline, erasing some of the more unsavory elements of The Last Stand from the series continuity.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
