Next X-Men Movies Set In 90s & Likely Space

That was something Simon [Kinberg] and I discussed a long time ago, all the way back to when I first pitched the studio on First Class — that they do each movie in 10-year increments. It’s a nice way for the audience to kind of keep track of the timeline, and it’s fun to play in these different eras. So that’s a good starting point.”

On being set in space:

But we’ve also introduced the tenants of time travel, which already exists in the comic book. Also I imagine – and this is the first time I’ve actually answered the question this way – but another thing that’s been introduced in the comics is a big alien, interstellar tenant within the X-Men universe that hasn’t been explored. And to me, that might be kind of fun because I’m a huge Star Wars and Star Trek fan, and exploring the X-Men universe and being able to utilize that would be exciting, visually. 

Singer also notes if he is going to be involved with further X-Men movies, it has to be different, which is what the space setting offers:

Like Apocalypse – like some of the imagery and characters and stakes [in that movie] – it’s something we haven’t seen before. If I’m going to be involved in a significant way, it has to be something different. Visually different and aesthetically different.”

So the ‘90s is a good jumping off point, but as we established in Days of Future Past and now with the formation of the X-Men – some characters in Apocalypse move towards their destinies. The characters who we knew from X-Men 1, 2 and 3. Meanwhile, some characters move in opposite directions. So it’s somewhat limitless.”

As noted, it’s possible the movie could be an adaptation of the Marvel Comics “Dark Phoenix” storyline which sees Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) exile herself to space where she draws upon the energy of a star which ends up destroying a planet causing the alien race known as the Shi’ar to take notice (and maybe even Gladiator and the Imperial Guard).