Patrick Stewart Talks X2
Empire Online chatted with Patrick Stewart back when they were filming on the Vancouver set of X2...
Conventional wisdom has it that The Matrix Reloaded will destroy competitors left, right and cyber. Well, while Neo and pals should [itals] eventually rule the summer, they won't have it all their way: the X-Men will see to that.
"We do see very dramatically what Professor X's powers can do. And it's spectacular"
Although its $300 million take in 2000 is hardly the stuff of legend, X-Men - like Austin Powers and The Terminator before it - blossomed on DVD. That, along with the success of Spider-Man, prompted Fox to increase X2's budget to $120 million - up a whopping $50 million. Fox are hoping that audiences seeking their superhero fix will plump for the PG-13 X2, which has a two-week march on the R-rated Reloaded. And with that huge in-built audience of X-Men geeks worldwide, X2 should hit $150 million before Neo even boots up.
"It's going to be mind-blowing. As the resident fan, I'm confident that fans will love this."
But X2 will need to reach beyond that core audience; and that looks assured. For thanks to that new and improved budget, the mutant heroes - all of whom return, under Singer's direction once again - will cut loose in ways not possible three years ago. "We do see very dramatically in two places, the beginning and the end of the film, what his powers can do. And it's spectacular," says Patrick Stewart of his wheelchair bound X-leader, Professor X, in between takes on the Vancouver set. The original's relative lack of action has been remedied, building towards a spectacular climax in the Rocky Mountains. Approximately 100 effects shots have been added since filming began, bringing the total to around 800. And even though filming only concluded in November, a rough cut has already been assembled. "It's going to be mind-blowing," says executive producer Tom De Santo, the man who first brought the comic to Singer's attention. "We've got fifty million more dollars to play with, to make them more heroic and more spectacular and really showcase the powers. As the resident fan, I'm confident that fans will love this."