James Cameron Was Not Happy With One Wolverine Scene of Hugh Jackman, Requested Bryan Singer to Change ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Ending
James Cameron, the Canadian filmmaker known to be the only director with two entries in the billion-dollar club is easily the most successful creative of our time. His influence on cinema is unparalleled.
The visionary is famous for his innovative use of special effects, the results of which can be seen in his extraordinary works including Titanic, Avatar, and Terminator. However, that’s not all. The Academy Award Winner was set on making his Marvel debut with the X-Men franchise.
While that didn’t play out well, his keen eye contributed to X-Men: Days of Future Past, Cameron gave the filmmakers some more clarity about the movie’s end.
James Cameron Influenced the Ending of X-Men: Days of Future Past
When the groundwork for X-Men: Days of Future Past was laid, Bryan Singer who directed the first two installments of the X-Men franchise, was returning for the prequel.
The story follows Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine, as he travels back in time to change the course of history to prevent the destruction of the mutant community.
While making the action-thriller, Singer sent a rough movie cut to Cameron for his review as The Terminator Direct was experienced in the time travel genre. Doing this benefited the film as Cameron requested a minor change to the movie’s ending.
Talking about the process, Singer said (via IGN):
“I sent the film to Jim, and at the end of that movie, it was very interesting; when Wolverine woke up, originally, my editor was obsessed with this visual blurriness, so when Wolverine’s walking around he’s seeing things in kind of a blur. So I sent that to Jim, and Jim called me and went, ‘Bryan, that blurry thing made me think that the wool was going to be pulled out from under me, and I was not satisfied. I thought it was a lie and that it would fail, and it would all be dark. Then suddenly it was okay.’”
The X2 director then continues(via IGN):
“So I pulled the effect, and it was the only note Jim gave me. He gave me no other note. He said, ‘Oh, I love the movie. It’s going to be great, but please let the audience enjoy the fact that it all turned out okay… in that future.’”
With his complex understanding of the superhero universe, it is a surprise that James Cameron never got around to making a film in the genre, even though he wanted to.
James Cameron’s Failed Marvel Plans
Cameron was more than willing to make a superhero movie, specifically The X-Men franchise. But things never got around to it because Marvel creator Stan Lee apparently didn’t want that.
In an instance recounted by the X-Men author Chris Claremont, it is revealed that when Cameron presented the idea, Lee talked him out. He said (via Yahoo)
“So we’re chatting. And at one point, Stan Lee looks at Cameron and says, ‘I hear you like Spider-Man.’ Cameron’s eyes lit up. And they start talking, and talking, and talking. About 20 minutes later, all the Lightstorm guys and I are looking at each other, and we all know the X-Men deal has just evaporated.”
Cameron didn’t get a chance to do the Spider-Man movies either. Singer’s take on the X-Men franchise was a great success but fans are disappointed that they were robbed of Cameron’s vision of the films.
