To quote Futurama..."NIXON'S BACK!"
Yes, the late 37th President of the United States, Richard Milhous Nixon, is returning to big screen in the upcoming movie X-Men: Days of Future Past. Collider spoke with Bryan Singer, director of the 2014 film, and asked him whether he and his production team had figured out when the X-Men featured in X-Men: First Class would be set. "Yeah, we have," said Singer, "and part of it takes place in the 1970s. And Richard Nixon’s in it. That’ll be an interesting casting choice, I can tell you that. That’s a little confirmation, I guess."
Singer also revealed that the film begins shooting on April 15th in Montreal and will probably last until October. "It’s a big movie," he said. "It’ll be the biggest movie I’ve ever made."
Because of the time-travel story element involved, Days of Future Past serves as a sequel to Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class, and as a sequel to Singer's first two X-Men films. The original comics story by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne first appeared in Uncanny X-Men (vol.1) #141-142 in early 1981 and focused on a dystopian alternative future where mutants are incarcerated in internment camps. An adult version of Kitty Pryde transfers her mind into the body of her younger self in order to have the X-Men stop the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly and prevent the resulting anti-mutant hysteria from happening.
Stars from both X-Men casts have been confirmed for the film, with James McAvoy (Younger Professor Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Younger Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), and Nicholas Hoult (Beast) returning from X-Men: First Class. Sir Patrick Stewart (Older Professor Xavier), Sir Ian McKellen (Older Magneto), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman), and Anna Paquin (Rogue) will reprise their roles from Singer's X-Men films.
"I got the impression that everyone was kind of excited to come back," said Singer. "The actors from X-Men: First Class are contracted to, but the ones I’ve spoken to are very enthusiastic. Jen’s very excited, I’m with Nick these past few days and he’s excited, and Hugh, Ian, Patrick, Anna—They remember we felt very good about those first two X-Men films back then and I think there’s a good feeling about all of us working together again, and I’m very excited to work with the new cast members as a director as opposed to just a producer."
X-Men: Days of Future Past is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 18, 2014.