UNITED KINGDOM: Stars of the latest X-Men movie series instalment "X-Men: Days of Future Past" brave the British weather in London's Leicester Square for the film's British premiere

Record ID: 221346

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Stars of the latest X-Men movie series instalment "X-Men: Days of Future Past" brave the British weather in London's Leicester Square for the film's British premiere
  • Date: 12th May 2014
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 12, 2014) (REUTERS) CAST AND MEDIA ON BLUE CARPET AT PREMIERE ACTORS, PATRICK STEWART, IAN MCKELLEN AND MICHAEL FASSBENDER, POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS ON BLUE CARPET
  • Embargoed: 27th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEYLINVZT4WBJC494SL1L8M4MW
  • Story Text: British talent led the blue carpet rolled out in London's Leicester Square for the UK premiere of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" as part of a round of global showings on Monday (May 12), ahead of the film's release simultaneously worldwide.
    British acting legends Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen were joined by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender at the premiere in the British capital to screaming fans, many of whom arrived dressed up as their favourite character from the hugely successful series adapted from Marvel comic books.
    McKellen, who reprises the role of Magneto for the seventh instalment of the blockbuster franchise, said he was reluctant to focus on the series' commercial success.
    "Well I don't call it a franchise, to me it's not a money-making enterprise, it's a series of wonderful stories, and it was lovely to be back with old friends, you know, Michael, Bryan Singer, the director and his crew, so many people behind the camera and in front of it. So it was like going home really," he said.
    Director Bryan Singer, weeks before the release of the film, has been accused of drugging and raping a teenage boy in California and Hawaii in the late 1990s, along with separate accusations of coercing a British man into sex acts as a minor.
    Lawsuits filed in the U.S. allege that Singer, 48, used his influence as a Hollywood insider to sexually abuse two separate men, while promising to help their acting careers.
    While Singer was absent from the red carpet in London, McKellen said he was doing well.
    "I've not seen him. He's fine. He's not coming today unfortunately," he told Reuters Television.
    American, Michael Egan, is seeking a jury trial and damages in excess of $10 million from Singer and three other Hollywood executives after alleging wide-ranging abuses at California and Hawaii house parties beginning in the late 1990s, according to a civil action filed in Hawaii. The suit also claims that Singer and the other executives forced Egan to take drugs and alcohol as well.
    The British man, who remains unnamed, accuses Singer of sexually abusing him as a teenager, and was spurred to bring a lawsuit against the filmmaker after the earlier court filings by Egan, the plaintiff's lawyer said on May 5.
    Singer's lawyer has called the allegations in both lawsuits false and fabrications, and a bid to win money from the director behind other films in the "X-Men" superhero franchise, ahead of the May 23 release of his film "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which is expected to be one of the year's top grossing movies.
    Fans at the premiere in London however said their love for the movie was paramount, though setting an example was of equal significance.
    "Always reputation and example is important, so yeah I suppose so, in some way. But I don't know," said Ecuadorian film fan, Oli.
    "I don't think it's going to affect what I think when I see the movie, because I'm going to separate the fact that, even if it is true, that - it's hard to explain, yeah, yeah, but it's not going to affect what I think of the movie," young female fan Carrie-Anne said.
    British fan Steve said the accusations would be ignored until something was actually proven to have happened.
    "Until he's proven guilty it wouldn't bother me. It's like anything, until he's proven guilty," he said, shaking his head.
    The British lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, said that Singer, 48, and entertainment industry executive Gary Goddard, 59, coerced the British man into sex acts as a minor with the promise of helping him in an acting career. The man was not identified in court papers.
    The lawsuit said the abuse happened between 2003 and 2006 and seeks unspecified damages.
    The allegations could complicate the global promotion roll-out for Fox by pushing the director's legal problem to the forefront of the film starring Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy and Halle Berry.
    Singer, who directed "X-Men" in 2000 and its sequel "X2" in 2003, is also signed on to direct the next installment in the franchise, "X-Men: Apocalypse," for Fox. The film is scheduled to be released in 2016.
    "X-Men: Days of Future Past" could be a rebound for Singer, whose previous film, "Jack the Giant Slayer," underperformed at the global box office.
    The wealth of British actors in Hollywood blockbusters like X-Men has been noted for its growing presence, "Fassbender, McAvoy, Stewart and I were sitting there doing an interview, and I realised we'd all played Macbeth, we've all played one of the great parts by William Shakespeare," said McKellen.
    "Once you've done that you're pretty well up for anything, and you've had your imagination stretched as an actor, as well as your vocal abilities, and that maybe all comes into being very useful when you have to imagine yourself in these extraordinary situations that the mutants find themselves. Maybe that's the reason. I don't know," he added.
    McAvoy, one of the leaders of the next generation of British talent, said he was encouraged by the numbers of Britons in movies.
    "I don't know what it says about it but it's obviously a healthy sign, isn't it?" he said, adding that being at the forefront of a generation of British actors brought it's own unique pressures.
    "You always feel the pressure, not necessarily because the other actors around you are so great, but because you've got all this passion and commitment from the fans, you realise you're in a privileged position to be taking care of something that they have held dear to their hearts, generally speaking, back to the '60s," McAvoy said.
    "So the pressure's on before you even find out who else is in it," he added.
    McAvoy's popularity in the U.S. continues to grow, with an appearance on the talk show "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" seeing the actor amid to engaging in playful BB gun fights with co-stars Josh Helman and Jennifer Lawrence.
    Asked what Lawrence was like in such a gun battle, McAvoy said it was easy to sum up.
    "Unflinching, clinical, wrathful and driven by revenge," he said, adding it was him who ultimately came out on top.
    "It's a tough one. It's a tough one. I would definitely go for me," he added.
    "X-Men: Days of Future Past" will open in theatres worldwide on May 23.
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