July 17, 1996
Dear --,
The previous attempts at writing an X-Men screenplay each have much to recommend them, in
particular an obvious affection for the material and
characters.
What they lack, however--one of two primary
challenges in writing an X-Men movie--is a way in to
the world of the X-Men that works both for
established fans and for people to whom the
characters are utterly unknown. The second primary
challenge, of course, is somehow finding a way to
make it truly about Wolverine and the X-Men at the
same time. This is very difficult. I believe that my
solution kills both these birds with one stone.
Wolverine, his memory--the very constructs of his
self--damaged, is the way in; we experience the X-Men
through his "innocent" eyes, as he
attempts to penetrate their mystery. In my script,
they don't reveal themselves to him all at once; why
should they? Those who know nothing about the group
will learn gradually, with Logan; those who know
everything will enjoy seeing their heroes through
"fresh eyes," as well as the shock of
seeing Logan himself rendered (temporarily) timid
and confused. There is natural comedy in this, as
well as strangeness and mystery.
Previous attempts have also neglected to give
full consideration--and screen time--to all the
elements that make the X-Men the immensely popular
and long-lived phenomenon they have become. As a fan
from way back, I've searched my own feelings about
the X-Men, talked to friends who are fans, and I've
also made an extensive study of the thriving if
slightly maniacal community of X-Men lovers out
there on the Internet, studying their controversies,
complaints, discussions, homemade adventures, and
Web pages, in order to try to arrive at the essence
of the X-Men's appeal. I've concluded that there are
four elements to it, two thematic, two narrative:
1) The romance of being a mutant. There is a
fundamental adolescent appeal here, in the
simultaneous fear/hope that one is somehow different
from everybody else, and quite possibly better;
special. There is also the appeal of
"mutant" standing as a ready analog for
any persecuted or excluded group. The other scripts
hit the latter, but none really lands hard on the
former, which is just as important, if not more so:
the sense of wonder.
2) The allure of the idea that one can, in spite
of his or her "difference," or feelings of
being an outcast, find a family, a home, a team, a
place to belong. The other scripts pay lip service
to this idea, but not much ever emerges in the way
of real relationships among the characters. This is
at least partly because of the presence of so many
characters, especially the supervillains who, if the
rather numerous X-Men are to come off as real and
appealing, can never be anything more than plastic
action figures. I have taken the chance of
dispensing with supervillains here, in the hope that
there will consequently be more room for the X-Men to emerge as people who love and care for each
other. This is absolutely key. Don't worry, I still
have villains--bad ones. But they don't warp the
balance of an already unwieldy team.
3) Like all classic Marvel Comics, and to a
greater extent perhaps than any other title except
for Spider-Man, the X-Men have always been a soap
opera. Who loves whom, who can't tell his or her
terrible secret, who doesn't love whom, what scandal
befalls them next...any good X-Men movie has to have
these soapy elements present and foregrounded. This
is something DC-character-based movies have had to
worry about less. It's of course difficult to do
this in a single, uncontinued' two-hour movie, but
strict adherence to item 2 above should do the
trick.
4) Stuff exploding, wild technology, cool powers,
fighting. I have this stuff, too. But in balance, I
hope with the other elements.
I have worked out a plot that gives me the
opportunity to emphasize all four aspects of the X-Men's appeal. By necessity in such a condensed
format, and since I was hurrying, I find that not as
much comes through in the way of character as I
would have liked. I hope that my work on The
Gentleman Host and, perhaps more relevantly, The
Martian Agent will show that character is always my
primary concern as a screenwriter, even when I'm
dealing with seven-foot purple amazons, death rays,
and Zeppelin warfare on Mars.
I have chosen an X-Men lineup -- Cyclops, Jean
Grey, Nightcrawler, Beast, Iceman, Storm, Wolverine
and Jubilee, that provides for the greatest degree
of contrast of personality, with each of the
characters capable of filling a very distinct, even
archetypical role in the story, in an ensemble
configuration not all too different from that of
Star Trek, which is a useful model, in my opinion,
for this type of film. I intend to make sure that
each X-man gets a chance to come alive as a real
character, mostly by focusing on the small details
of personality, the everyday humdrum routine of
being a fabulously superpowered mutant. It is to
make room for this that I have stripped away the
super-powered villain layer--a risk, I know, but one
that I feel pays off. The next movie, building on
this one, can introduce Magneto, Sabretooth, and the
others. Personally I am a little weary of
megalomaniacs bent on world domination--I think
we've all seen enough of them (on screen and in
Hollywood).
(Note: Although my 'villain' is one of my own
invention, I could easily convert it to one taken
right from the comic books: the notorious Hellfire
Club. But I like my League of Gentlemen, and I think
I give the best, and least trite, explanation so far
for Wolverine's creation.)
As for Jubilee's enhanced role here--we simply
must, I feel, have a plot thread that treats in
depth a new, inexperienced mutant trying to cope
with her powers. That is the first element of the X-Men's appeal: What would it be like to realize
that you were special?
What follows is a 6 page "treatment" of
the opening sequence of the movie, going into some
detail, followed by a quick sketch of the remainder
of the plot, followed by an Appendix that fills out
the backstory in more detail than may be necessary.
I've been thinking a lot about this; too much, I
suppose. And it's been a blast. If nothing else,
thanks for giving me the chance to get to know these
characters all over again.
Sincerely,
Michael
