Producers Allegedly Tried to Trick Halle Berry Into Joining ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’
Before the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the onslaught of subsequent superhero films, the X-Men franchise was the gold standard for Marvel at the box office.
Beginning with 2000’s X-Men, the franchise introduced the world to High Jackman’s Wolverine, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Halle Berry’s Storm.
Photo: Sony
While the first two films in the X-Men franchise were directed by Bryan Singer, by the time 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand came around, producers were looking for a new director.
Matthew Vaughn’s First ‘X-Men’ Offer
One name that was considered for the job was Matthew Vaughn. Coming off 2004’s Layer Cake, the director was the top choice to continue the X-Men story.
Photo: The Hollywood Reporter
Ultimately, Vaughn too would exit the project, and Rush Hour filmmaker Brett Ratner was tapped to helm X-Men: The Last Stand.
A Plot To Trick Hallie Berry
At New York City Comic-Con, Vaughn revealed that he quit The Last Stand after discovering that producers were planning to use a fake script to trick Hallie Berry into reprising her role as Storm for the film.
Photo: Variety
“One of the main reasons I quit ‘X-Men 3,’ and this is a true story,” Vaughn said. “I went to an executive’s office and I saw an ‘X3’ script. It was a lot fatter. I asked, ‘What is this draft?’ They were like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ So I grabbed it, and opened the first page, and it said, ‘Africa. Kids dying from no water, and Storm creates a thunderstorm to save all these children.’”
Photo: Disney+
“I thought it was a pretty cool idea,” Vaughn continued. “I said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is the Halle Berry script, because she hasn’t signed on yet. This is what she wants it to be. And once she signs on, we’ll throw it in the bin.’ I thought, if you’re going to do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm, I quit.”
Vaughn Would Get His Chance to Shine
Berry did end up returning as Storm for X-Men: The Last Stand, but the film did not include any of the scenes that Vaughn described. Instead, Storm was given a more prominent role as head of Charles Xavier’s School for the Gifted after the professor’s death.
Photo: Marvel
As fate would have it, Vaugn ended up getting to direct an X-Men movie with 2011’s X-Men: First Class. The reboot of the franchise starred James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique.
Photo: Also Disney+
Vaughn’s X-Men film would be lauded by critics and fans alike. It was an ideal ending for a man who stood up for what was right.
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