X-Men First Class Cast At Cross Roads As Stars Remain Off Contract

For Fox sake. This is quite the debacle the studio has found themselves in. According to THR, four of the biggest stars and draw cards to the First Class division of the X-Men series have failed to agree to terms on a new contract with Fox. All while their three installments have wrapped following from the disappointing Apocalypse epic.

Here are how things stand right now. Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), James McAvoy (Professor X) and Nicholas Hoult (Beast) are in limbo as to their future involvement in the franchise. And, with the incredible numbers posted over the duration of the series, a fresh signature will have a heavy price to pay. $4b in total from the cinemas since 2000 means this foursome hold all the cards at the negotiation table.

What Does The Future Hold For First Class?

Next year's hotly anticipated Logan won't only be an end to Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart's arm of the narrative, but their entire part in the X-Men universe since the 2000 original. The younger branch started off in 2011 with X-Men: First Class. Before starring in the crossover X-Men: Days of Future Past. Which all lead to 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, Lawrence, Fassbender, McAvoy and Hoult are under no legal obligation to continue.

The decision will rest with Fox chairman Stacey Snider. Who must decide if Bryan Singer's $544m taking this year was either a bump in the road or an indication that the audience has grown weary of their involvement in the superhero realm. With Marvel now owning their own studio outright, perhaps the rights could be bought back from them if they cash in their chips now.

Beyond Logan, No One Really Knows

With the Logan trailer breaking all sorts of records for sheer amount of views, it is fair to conclude that there will be a big turnout to see the flick come March. That might be presumptuous given the events of the week but Fox will hold onto that silver lining while other projects stutter and stall along the way.

The on again, off again Gambit spinoff with Channing Tatum has hit a wall yet again. And Ryan Reynolds is waiting for a director to come along for Deadpool 2 ever since Tim Miller walked away due to "creative differences." Fox could just admit they've enjoyed a better run than expected or are looking for answers from an ever growing superhero industry that shows no signs of slowing down.