'X-Men: Apocalypse' news: Mystique spinoff a possibility? Fox apologizes for ad showing Apocalypse strangling Mystique
While "X-Men: Apocalypse" star Jennifer Lawrence has previously hinted at exiting the franchise after reprising her role as Mystique in the 2016 film, it appears that the powerful mutant she plays is poised to become the next breakout character from the film series.
Mystique, who was portrayed by Rebecca Romjin in the first three "X-Men" films before the role was handed over to Lawrence, has appeared in six of the "X-Men" installments. Now, "Apocalypse" director and executive producer Bryan Singer has hinted that Mystique could soon be getting her own stand-alone film.
In a recent interview on Empire's podcast, the "X-Men" head honcho said that Mystique would be the ideal character for a stand-alone, even if Lawrence isn't the one playing her.
"I think [Mystique's] right for [a solo movie], whether it's Jennifer or not," he said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. According to Singer, the blue-skinned mutant "has this different view of the world" and her story "opens up a lot of avenues" for a possible film to explore.
Meanwhile, Fox has issued an apology for the widely condemned promotional image for "X-Men: Apocalypse" showing Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) choking Mystique.
Actress Rose McGowan had recently criticized the image on social media and told THR: "There is a major problem when the men and women at 20th Century Fox think casual violence against women is the way to market a film. There is no context in the ad, just a woman getting strangled."
The actress also called out 20th Century Fox's lack of female directors and said that the fact that no one flagged the image is "offensive" and "stupid."
In a statement, Fox said (via Deadline), "In our enthusiasm to show the villainy of the character Apocalypse, we didn't immediately recognize the upsetting connotation of this image in print form."
"We apologize for our actions and would never condone violence against women," the studio added. Fox also assured "X-Men" fans that all promotional material showing the image have been taken down.
