FILM · 2000 · USA
X-Men
- Directed by
- Bryan Singer
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Studio
- The Donners' Company, Bad Hat Harry Productions, 20th Century Fox
220 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
Summary: TMDB
163 Interesting Facts About X-Men
- #002
Shortly after accepting the role of Magneto, Sir Ian McKellen was offered the part of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings but initially had to turn it down. He spoke with director Bryan Singer about his interest in doing The Lord of the Rings, and Singer agreed to rearrange the shooting schedule so that McKellen could finish his scenes by the end of 1999, giving him the chance to travel to New Zealand in January 2000, where The Lord of the Rings had been in production since October 1999.
- #003
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 44 minutes) The creator and executive producer of X-Men is the man standing next to the hot dog stand on the beach when Senator Kelly emerges from the water.
- #004
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 52 minutes) The scene at the train station in which a young boy smiles at Cyclops and Cyclops smiles back was not planned. The boy was a big X-Men fan and Cyclops was his favorite. The scene originally called for Cyclops to look at the train schedule, but according to director Bryan Singer the boy could not stop smiling at James Marsden. Eventually, during one take, Marsden simply looked at him and smiled, which delighted the boy. Bryan Singer liked the idea so much that he kept it in the film and told the actress playing the boy's mother to react the same way.
- #005
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 26 minutes) Wolverine's line "What do they call you, 'Wheels'?" was an improvisation by Hugh Jackman (the scripted line was "What do they call you, Baldie?").
- #007
To keep her appearance a secret, Rebecca Romijn had to sit in an isolated, windowless room when she was not needed for filming: "I had almost no contact with the other actors, as if I were making a different film from everyone else. It was hell."
- #008
Most of the eye effects were achieved by the actors and actresses wearing special contact lenses. The actors found the lenses uncomfortable and dangerous to wear. Rebecca Romijn could wear the Mystique lenses for only one hour at a time and had only ten percent vision. Tyler Mane wore the Sabretooth lenses for too long and eventually went temporarily blind for a day. Halle Berry wore the opaque white Storm lenses only once, found them unbearable and insisted on having CGI done for her eyes.
- #009
Wolverine's dog tags are the standard type issued by the Canadian military.
- #012
Sir Patrick Stewart was the first actor cast in a mutant role and had in fact been a fan favorite for the role of Professor X since the 1990s, especially after X-Men (1992).
- #014
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 1 hour 9 minutes) In the comics the X-Men wore a distinctive blue-and-gold uniform, but the producers revised the uniform into black leather suits. Tom DeSanto explained that test designs of the X-Men's blue-and-gold outfits failed, and Bryan Singer noted that it made more sense for the X-Men to wear durable black leather as protective clothing. Despite the support of Stan Lee and Chris Claremont, many fans were upset by the change to the costumes, so Bryan Singer added a line of dialogue addressing the issue. When Wolverine complains about the uniforms, Cyclops replies, "What would you prefer, yellow spandex?" The blue-and-gold uniforms appeared in X-Men: First Class (2011), and more comic-inspired costumes appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).
- #015
According to Marvel Comics' official profile, Wolverine is 5' 3" tall, a very short character, while Hugh Jackman is nearly a foot taller at 6' 2".
- #016
Many of the X-Men from the comics who have no significant roles in this film appear as secondary characters at the school. Among them are Jubilee (the Asian-American girl in a yellow jacket with hoop earrings and sunglasses pushed up on her forehead); Shadowcat, also known as Kitty Pryde; Colossus; Iceman, also known as Bobby Drake; and Pyro. Kitty, Iceman and Pyro have significant roles in the sequels, but Kitty and Pyro are recast for later films.
- #019
The mansion used as Xavier's School also served as the Madison Mansion in Billy Madison (1995), the Luthor Mansion in Smallville (2001) and the Queen Mansion in Arrow (2012).
- #020
Oakley Glasses, which produced the special glasses worn by Cyclops (James Marsden) in the film, gave Marsden a lifetime supply of sunglasses.
- #021
Contains a major spoiler — show
When the energy blast from Magneto's machine passes over the X-Men, Jean Gray is the only one who reacts physically to the flash; this appears to be the event that activates the Phoenix Force, which would become very important in the next two films. X2: X-Men United (2003) expands on this in a scene where Scott and Jean discuss how their powers have changed since the Statue of Liberty.
- #023
Bryan Singer dressed one of his stuntmen, Scott Leva, in a Spider-Man costume and one day confronted James Marsden (Cyclops), Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) and Halle Berry (Storm) with it on set as a joke. Leva had in fact previously worn the same Spider-Man costume on the cover of issue 262 of the comic book "The Amazing Spider-Man" for Marvel Comics in 1985. On the way out, Spider-Man realizes he is in the wrong film, backs away and flees; shortly afterwards Cyclops goes after him. This can be seen as an "Easter Egg" on the film's first DVD release but not on the "X-Men 1.5" DVD.
- #024
Contains a major spoiler — show
In one scene, Mystique transforms into Iceman and walks past him. This required careful splicing of separate shots and could have been avoided. Bryan Singer was not aware that Shawn Ashmore actually has an identical twin named Aaron Ashmore.
- #025
In 2013, Hugh Jackman said Wolverine was his favorite role: "He's eternally fascinating to me. He's incredibly human, and a great sort of anti-hero and tragic figure."
- #027
Hugh Jackman had to train with a hand-to-hand combat expert to learn how to use Wolverine's claws.
- #028
Bryan Singer banned comic books on set because he did not want them to influence the cast. They were reading them secretly anyway.
- #029
In an interview with Josh Horowitz of MTV News, Hugh Jackman admits that when he first took on the role of Wolverine he studied wolves to develop his character, because he thought Wolverine was supposed to evoke wolves. Bryan Singer later explained to him that the wolverine is a different kind of animal. It is the largest species in the weasel family and is found in Northern Europe and parts of North America. It is the state animal of Michigan as well as the mascot and nickname of the University of Michigan sports teams.
- #030
Sir Ian McKellen was initially reluctant to accept the role of Magneto, but was persuaded to accept it once he saw the costume.
- #031
After the film was completed, the wheelchair used by Professor Xavier was sold at auction to Sir Patrick Stewart's lawyer and was then rented back by the production company for X2: X-Men United (2003).
- #034
Contains a major spoiler — show
At roughly 1 hour 30 minutes, if you listen carefully to the news program at the end of the film, you can hear the anchor say that Henry Gyrich's body has been found, and the coroners assumed he had been mauled by a bear. This indicates that he was killed by Sabretooth.
- #035
Contains a major spoiler — show
At roughly 44 minutes, when Mystique impersonates Iceman (Bobby Drake) to make Rogue leave the school, it is possible to see Bobby's breath even though the film appears to take place in midsummer. This trait, a result of Bobby's power, was widely praised by fans and seen as Bryan Singer's commitment to the X-Men series. Because it is Mystique's impersonation, it is now more often regarded as a mistake. The effect was deliberately added in X2: X-Men United (2003), where Iceman and Rogue kiss.
- #036
Contains a major spoiler — show
Mystique takes on the identity of Senator Kelly's aide Henry Gyrich, who is later found dead. In the comics, Henry Peter Gyrich was a member of various United States national security agencies and was responsible for much of the misery in the X-Men's lives.
- #038
Similar to Magneto and Rogue's backstory segments, scenes explaining Storm's and Cyclops's backstories were scripted and storyboarded but never filmed. Storm's backstory involved her drastically altering the weather in her native Kenya and causing great damage. Cyclops's story showed him manifesting his mutant power as a young man at school and accidentally destroying a school toilet (this was later shot and used in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)). There was brief talk of shooting these scenes during the filming of X2: X-Men United (2003) to add them to the X-Men Special Edition DVD, but the idea was later dropped. However, the bathroom set (which had actually been built) was used for the scene in X2: X-Men United (2003) in which Grace drugs the drunk guard. Storm and Cyclops's childhood scenes were eventually shot for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) (though the Storms were cut from the final version), and short clips were also shot for X-Men: First Class (2011).
- #040
Dr. Hank "Beast" McCoy was originally going to appear in the film's final act but was removed to be saved for the sequels, and some of his professions were given to Jean Grey: medical doctor and political supporter of mutant rights. McCoy joined the series with X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
- #041
A deleted scene shown in the film's television commercial features a long conversation between Scott Summers and Professor Xavier about Logan's stay at the mansion. Scott says Professor Xavier replies politely to "He's not one of us. There's no way he's going to take orders.": "Give him an order worth following. He'll take it." The full scene appears in the official film adaptation book forms.
- #042
Anna Paquin said she felt Rogue connected with Wolverine instantly because they are so similar to each other. Paquin said the two are "very lonely and very isolated and very hostile toward the world."
- #044
The bar scenes were shot in the same brewery as the concentration camp scenes.
- #045
Contains a major spoiler — show
Reports suggest that Wolverine says "bub" in the film's actual script, but Hugh Jackman, a fan of the character, included it. Some reports state that he actually "threw it in" many times but only a few were kept.
- #046
In the comics, Rogue has Paragon abilities (Flight, Super Strength, Invulnerability, Speed and seven senses) from Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel. However, the film rights to Ms. Marvel do not belong to 20th Century Fox, and therefore Rogue cannot have any ability or story related to her.
- #047
Bryan Singer watched all seventy-six episodes of X-Men (1992) to decide which characters from the comics should appear in the film.
- #048
Originally planned for release at Christmas 2000, the film was pushed back to June 2000 because Steven Spielberg chose not to make Minority Report (2002) at that time, creating an unexpected gap in 20th Century Fox's schedule.
- #049
A full silicone cast was taken of Hugh Jackman's arm so that Wolverine's claws could be designed properly.
- #050
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 1 hour 16 minutes) Toad complains that Storm failed to kill him with "Don't you people ever die?" This is a nod to the recurring trick in the X-Men comics of a character dying and later being brought back to life by supernatural or scientific means, something done for nearly every major character in the series.
- #051
At the Hamilton location (the train station scenes), Bryan Singer was mistaken for a spectator and was briefly stopped by a police officer from joining the production crew.
- #052
The comic book character Mortimer "Toad" Toynbee is a hunchback, but this was changed in the film with the casting of martial artist Ray Park.
- #054
To make the school feel more like a real place, the same children were used as extras repeatedly.
- #055
Gambit was initially set to have a small role in the film as a student playing with a basketball and then blowing it up (Gambit's power was to charge an object with kinetic energy and force it to explode). Bryan Singer rejected the cameo, thinking the audience would not understand it: "People would be like, what's wrong with those basketballs?" Gambit eventually appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).
- #056
Rogue's portrayal in this film includes elements of Jubilee (a close bond with Wolverine) and Kitty Pryde (targeted by the Brotherhood).
- #057
(At about 13 minutes) The man behind the man accusing Wolverine of cheating after the amateur boxing match in Alberta is Malcolm Nefsky, the Best Boy Grip on this film. Because of the way the scene was shot, someone was needed to deliver the line, and since no certified "extra" was nearby, he was called upon.
- #058
The snow in the Canadian scene where Wolverine and Rogue are confronted by Sabretooth was entirely fake, because it had not snowed in the area for some time.
- #060
Hugh Jackman did most of his own stunts. One day he nearly impaled a cameraman with his claws.
- #062
Mystique's morph effects consist of eight thousand scales moving in different directions.
- #063
The last scenes shot were the ones in which Senator Kelly emerges from the water (in Santa Monica, California). They were filmed in early May, and the film's premiere was held in the last days of July.
- #064
Storm's line about what happens to toads when they are struck by lightning has often been voted one of the worst one-liners in cinema history, and it was in fact a leftover line from a script Joss Whedon later revised. Whedon stated he never intended the line to be delivered seriously; it was meant to be a joke line said with a shrugging tone, "eh, the same thing that happens to everything else." However, Halle Berry insisted on saying it in a serious tone.
- #065
The sunglasses Cyclops wears are known as Oakley "X-Metals" ("Juliet") with ruby lenses. This is a tribute to the comics, where Cyclops can only wear sunglasses and a visor with ruby or quartz lenses to balance and absorb the energy in his eyes.
- #067
The first scene shot for the film was the World Summit scene on Liberty Island, where representatives from every country are welcomed. Two of the guests — jokingly described by Bryan Singer as the King and Queen of Poland, titles that have not legally existed since 1795 — were played by Singer's father and stepmother.
- #070
Rebecca Romijn actually kicked Bruce Davison in the face during Mystique's introduction scene. She did not want to hit him that hard, but Davison forgave her.
- #073
When Hugh Jackman announced in 2017 that he was retiring from playing Wolverine on screen, Cal Dodd (who voiced Wolverine in X-Men (1992)) shared an anecdote about first meeting Hugh. "I love Hugh Jackman. I met him before he was going to shoot the first movie… he just came up to me and joked, 'I'm really tired of listening to your voice!'" because he had no other reference for a Wolverine [performance] but the animated series. Dodd said Jackman eventually told him: "It's a great voice. I don't know if I'll be able to nail it or not, but I'll give it whirl."
- #074
Wolverine does not kill anyone in this film.
- #076
Bryan Singer chose the Holocaust opening in order to ground the film in reality.
- #077
X-Men effectively guaranteed the future of superhero films, which were in jeopardy at the time of its premiere: the superhero films released from the mid-to-late 1990s — Batman Forever (1995), Spawn (1997), Steel (1997) and, above all, Batman & Robin (1997) — had been box office bombs and drew negative reactions from critics and the public. Despite the success of Blade (1998), Marvel Entertainment Group was not certain it would make new productions based on its comics. The film's success not only made possible a franchise that has grown over the years, it also greenlit the productions Marvel Enterprises was planning: Spider-Man (2002), Daredevil (2003) and Hulk (2003). Marvel Studios.
- #078
Contains a major spoiler — show
This is the only film in the series in which the actress who plays Mystique (Rebecca Romijn or Jennifer Lawrence) never appears out of makeup in one of her own guises. In all subsequent films, Romijn and Lawrence had a "disguise" look as a shapeshifted version of the same form of Mystique in X-Men: First Class (2011).
- #081
Sir Ian McKellen was cast early on. In the 1970s, he and Sir Patrick Stewart acted together at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stewart said he used their relationship: "There was a connection made between us, history and trust."
- #082
According to Bryan Singer, Sir Ian McKellen was wonderful at flying in a safety harness, especially at the difficult landing.
- #083
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the final scene, in which Professor Xavier plays chess with Magneto, Magneto asks Xavier about the people who come for his children at midnight; Xavier says he feels great pity for those who would attempt to attack his school. This foreshadows X2: X-Men United (2003), in which Professor Xavier is abducted by Colonel William Stryker and Stryker's military force raids Xavier's school at midnight, capturing only a few children while suffering significant losses. The dialogue between Magneto and Xavier was even reused as voiceover in the X2: X-Men United (2003) trailer over shots of soldiers entering the school.
- #084
Hugh Jackman modeled Wolverine's fighting style on videos of boxer Mike Tyson.
- #085
Bryan Singer had difficulty launching a script with so many superheroes. "To keep the story going, you have to quickly establish all of their powers."
- #087
The replica of the Statue of Liberty's head is one and a half times the size of the real one.
- #088
Contains a major spoiler — show
Visual effects supervisor Sean C. Cunningham and composer Claas Henke transformed Bruce Davison into a fluid figure for Senator Kelly's mutation and mutant scenes. Cunningham said at the time that it was a difficult job and took thirty-nine hours per frame: "There were many digital layers: water that doesn't break, murky water, skin with and without bright spots, skin with slime." During the transformation they considered showing Kelly's internal organs, but Cunningham thought it looked too horrifying.
- #089
In the comics there is a mutant named Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), whose name comes from X-Men writer John Byrne's former classmate. When this film was released, reporters tracked down Pryde in Calgary to interview her about the film (she has now changed her name to K. D. Pryde and says she appreciates the comics but wants to be known as more than the namesake of a hero). The comic-book Pryde appears in the X-Men series but is played by different actors and actresses (Sumela Kay, Katie Stuart and Elliot Page) and has a significant role only in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
- #090
In 1998, a licensed novel titled "Planet X" brought together the characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and X-Men and drew attention to the physical similarities between Professor Charles Xavier and Starship Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Sir Patrick Stewart played both Picard and Xavier.
- #091
Magneto's fortress is a full-scale set that took two months to build from scratch.
- #092
(At about 1 hour 28 minutes) The police officer is stabbed by Sabertooth in front of the Statue of Liberty. Sweeney was a big X-Men fan and had auditioned for the role of Cyclops.
- #093
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the timeline of the cinematic X-Men series, later expanded by the prequels X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), the first film takes place forty-one years after the formation of the X-Men in X-Men: First Class (2011), forty years after Mystique's assassination, twenty-four years after Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and after Wolverine was injected with Adamantium and lost his memory in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Because of some inconsistencies between the first three X-Men films and the backstory presented in these prequels, First Class/Wolverine likely already takes place in a similar but alternate universe; when Wolverine is sent back in time from 2023 to 1973 in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) to prevent Bolivar Trask's assassination, he finds himself in that particular universe. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) takes place as a result of his actions, ten years after X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), in an alternate 1983, on a reset timeline in which young Professor X and the X-Men fight Apocalypse.
- #094
Tyler Mane was connected to a five-million-volt electrostatic generator to supply electricity to his hair.
- #096
Christopher McQuarrie chose not to be credited because he felt the screenplay was largely David Hayter's vision.
- #097
Tyler Mane was not familiar with X-Men before taking a role in the film. He prepared for the part together with his son, a big fan of the comics.
- #098
If you search for the address of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, Westchester County, NY) on Google Earth, you will see that it is a real address. Instead of a large mansion, however, you will find two large barns and other farm structures.
- #099
This was Bryan Singer's first science fiction film, so to better understand practical and digital visual effects he visited the sets of Titanic (1997) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
- #100
The opening scene of the Nazi concentration camp featured three hundred extras.
- #101
In 1994 screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker wrote a draft of the script: the X-Men (Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Gray, Beast, Iceman, Angel and new member Wolverine) must stop the Brotherhood of Mutants (Magneto, Sabretooth, Toad and new member Blob) from conquering New York City, and are also attacked by the three Sentinels, robots created by anti-mutant government officials Henry Peter Gyrich and Boliver Trask. The script focused on the rivalry between Cyclops and Wolverine, and Magneto was the cause of the Chernobyl disaster; the X-Copter and the Danger Room were also included. The script was never used, but dialogue and plot elements were used in the film's official novelization.
- #102
The producers wanted Wolverine to have metal blades concealed beneath prosthetic sheaths, but makeup artist Gordon J. Smith vetoed the idea and instead preferred plaster blades that could be put on and taken off easily and safely.
- #105
At the beginning of the film, the exterior of a distillery in Toronto was used as the concentration camp.
- #106
Composer Michael Kamen used a cello for Mystique's theme, feeling it had a sensual sound that suited her as a femme fatale.
- #107
Although Wolverine is the most famous member of the X-Men and the most frequently recurring character in the film series, he was not part of the team's original lineup and did not appear in the comics until more than a decade after the X-Men's introduction. When the team first appeared in X-Men #1 (September 1963), it consisted of Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Gray, Angel, Beast and Iceman. Wolverine did not debut until The Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974), and he did not join the X-Men until Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), which was also the first issue for Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler.
- #108
Magneto's machine is a combination of a full-sized version, a miniature copy and computer effects.
- #111
In 1996 Michael Chabon wrote a draft of the script: the X-Men (Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Gray, Beast, Iceman, Storm, Nightcrawler and new members Wolverine and Jubilee) would face a phantom threat (the Brotherhood, who do not reveal themselves until the sequel), focusing largely on the relationship between Wolverine and Jubilee.
- #112
Cerebro is the Spanish word for "brain."
- #113
Contains a major spoiler — show
The later prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) creates several continuity problems with this film. Much of the action in Wolverine takes place in 1979, while this film is set at least twenty-one years later, in the "near future" of 2000. Yet early in the film Xavier tells Logan, "It's been fifteen years hasn't it?" regarding Logan's adamantium implantation. Another is that in Wolverine the young Scott Summers meets Logan on Three Mile Island, but in this film he never mentions the event, if he remembers it (though he could not see at the time and therefore never saw Wolverine). Another continuity problem arises in X-Men: First Class (2011): in X-Men, Xavier states that he met Erik Lensherr/Magneto when he was seventeen, but in First Class Xavier states that he met him in the 1960s, while writing his thesis at university (and possibly teaching), and at least in his thirties. The makers of Wolverine/First Class stated that they tried to do their best and changed continuity where they needed to. As an in-universe explanation, Wolverine/First Class may take place in a slightly different parallel universe from X-Men 1-3, even before the major timeline reset that occurs in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
- #115
In the late 1980s, Carolco Pictures bought the film rights to X-Men from Marvel Comics. James Cameron was ready to produce along with his production company Lightstorm Entertainment, which would handle distribution. Noted X-Men comic book writer Chris Claremont, X-Men creator Stan Lee, James Cameron and executives at Carolco attended meetings about the project. After Cameron moved on to a Spider-Man project in the mid-1990s (which never happened) and Carolco went bankrupt, the rights became available and were purchased by 20th Century Fox.
- #116
Famke Janssen and Halle Berry were both Bond girls: Janssen in GoldenEye (1995) and Berry in Die Another Day (2002).
- #117
In 1996, Brett Ratner was considered to direct this film. He ultimately directed X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
- #122
This film and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) are the shortest X-Men films in the series, with the rest running over 2 hours.
- #123
Executive producer Tom DeSanto compared Wolverine to Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood. "He's such an emotionally torn character, and he's such a reluctant hero."
- #125
Contains a major spoiler — show
(Around 1 hour 14 minutes) When Toad attacks the X-Men, he kicks Storm because she throws him into an elevator whose doors are held open with an iron bar. After Storm falls into the elevator shaft, Toad takes the bar to close the elevator and moves it rapidly, briefly posing for the camera. This is a nod to his role as the villain Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), who is known for wielding a double-bladed lightsaber.
- #126
Before James Marsden was cast, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Ethan Hawke, Jonny Lee Miller, Michael Biehn and Luke Wilson were thought likely to play Cyclops.
- #127
In 1996, before Bryan Singer was hired, Roland Emmerich was asked to direct but turned the offer down in order to make Godzilla (1998) instead.
- #128
In a 2021 interview with Collider, Hugh Jackman revealed that even a week before the film's release it was supposed to be 47 minutes longer. That would have made the final cut 2 hours 32 minutes.
- #129
Ke Huy Quan served as the translator for fight choreographer and action director Corey Yuen, who is not credited in the titles.
- #130
Peta Wilson was offered the role of Jean Grey, but she had to film the fourth season of La Femme Nikita (1997) instead. Wilson later entered comic book films as one of the stars of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) and with a cameo in Superman Returns (2006).
- #133
It was the ninth highest-grossing film of 2000. The previous eight (in descending order): Mission: Impossible II (2000), Gladiator (2000), Cast Away (2000), What Women Want (2000), Dinosaur (2000), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Meet the Parents (2000) and The Perfect Storm (2000).
- #135
Although he is known only as Erik Lehnsherr in the films, in the comics Magneto's real name is Max Eisenhardt, and Erik Lehnsherr is an alias.
- #136
Visual effects supervisor Mike Fink claims he is not satisfied with his work on this film.
- #137
When it premiered in Alberta, the audience applauded loudly when the screen stated that the film's first part takes place in Alberta.
- #138
(Around 4 minutes) The opening title states that the main action of this film, released in 2000, takes place in "the near future." However, in a promotional prequel comic featuring the Silver Samurai and Wolverine, set just before the film's main action, the story indicated that the year was 2000.
- #140
When the film's first production began in the early 1990s, James Cameron was considering producing while his then-wife and fellow filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow would direct. They even considered Bob Hoskins for the role of Wolverine, Michael Biehn for Cyclops, Sir Christopher Lee for Magneto and Angela Bassett for Storm. However, the deal fell apart after Stan Lee drew Cameron's interest to making a Spider-Man film with Biehn in the role of Peter Parker, which never came to be.
- #141
It is ironic that Sir Ian McKellen, who plays Magneto, imprisoned by the Nazis as a child, had previously played a Nazi in Apt Pupil (1998). Michael Fassbender, who plays Magneto in X-Men: First Class (2011), portrayed Allied soldiers in Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Band of Brothers (2001) (thus going in a different direction from McKellen).
- #143
Composer Michael Kamen prepared a score of grand orchestral melodies, but producer Lauren Shuler Donner was not satisfied with it, and Kamen had to rework the score to make it less grandiose and to include more electronic sounds.
- #144
Although Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen had both performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before X-Men they had worked together only once, in Sir Tom Stoppard's very limited-run play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. They therefore knew each other only slightly before shooting X-Men, but they have since become close friends, and McKellen even officiated at Stewart's wedding.
- #145
Jeri Ryan competed for the role of Mystique.
- #146
Charlize Theron was offered the role of Jean Grey but turned it down.
- #148
Strangely, the origin of Hugh Jackman's popular casting traces back to legendary director Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick's perfectionist style caused the shooting of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) to run far over schedule and delayed Mission: Impossible II (2000), which meant that the original Wolverine choice, Dougray Scott, could not appear in this film.
- #149
Bryan Singer cast Halle Berry as Storm after seeing her performance in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999).
- #150
Artist Jack Kirby originally modelled Professor X on Yul Brynner, and John Byrne modelled his interpretation of Wolverine on Paul D'Amato after seeing him in Slap Shot (1977).
- #151
(At about the 21st minute) On Magneto's desk there is a variation of Newton's Cradle without the strings. It is the device in which a chrome ball is lifted to the side, released, allowed to strike the other four balls, and the transferred energy is then seen when the last ball on the opposite side moves. The original device was made by Richard Loncraine, who directed Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III (1995).
- #152
Comic book writer Mark Millar said of the film: "I think it revolutionised superhero movies. The film's release predated Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), and I think you forget how chronologically close it was to Batman and Robin (1997)! Opening a superhero movie with a Holocaust scene was unheard of."
- #153
The control stick Cyclops uses to pilot the X-Men jet is a CH brand "Flightstick Pro" computer joystick.
- #155
(At about 1 hour 28 minutes) The writer appears as the policeman kneeling beside Mystique (disguised as a guard, with the wounds Wolverine's claws caused visible in his stomach) and says that the guard is alive and needs to be got out of there.
- #156
Bruce Davison was the first actor cast.
- #157
(At about 43 minutes) The director of Masters of the Universe (1987) is one of the men watching Senator Kelly emerge from the ocean (the man in the green plaid shirt in front of the two boys). Singer and Goddard are good friends, and before production Singer sought Goddard's advice on directing "a comic book movie".
- #158
The trucking company Rogue hitchhikes with, Liberty Linehaul, is a real trucking company.
- #159
The actor who voiced Wolverine in X-Men (1992) can be seen on the right side of the screen as Senator Kelly emerges from the water.
- #160
The actor who voiced Beast in X-Men (1992) plays a small role as the truck driver who takes Rogue to Laughlin City at the beginning of the film.
- #161
Bryan Singer took a private tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty to prepare for the film.
- #162
Rebecca Romijn made a point of always keeping a bottle of wine with her to help her get through the extremely long makeup application process.
- #163
Remy LeBeau was planned to appear, and Fox was looking at Keanu Reeves to play him. After the role was cut, Singer kept the Gambit miniature in view as one of the young people seen in the basketball scene at Xavier's Institute.
- #164
(At about 1 hour 16 minutes) When Toad shouts, "Don't you people ever die?!", a hint of Ray Park's natural Scottish accent can be heard.
- #165
In Marvel Comics canon, the X-Men film series is officially classified as taking place on Earth-10005 (before the timeline was revised in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)). That number is the postal code of the New York location of Wall Street. The number was never mentioned in the film series until Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
- #166
Contains a major spoiler — show
After Magneto uses his machine to turn Senator Kelly into a mutant, he goes to his cell and says, "How are we feeling, Senator? Advanced, I hope." In the Spanish dub, the last words were changed to "Superior, espero." In the original Marvel comic books, Magneto regarded mutants as Homo Superior, the next step of the human race after Homo Sapiens, so this change is not coincidental.
- #167
(At about 25 minutes) When Wolverine first meets Prof. X, he interrupts the physics lesson he is giving five students and enters his office. From left to right they are Jubilation Lee/Jubilee, John Allerdyce/Pyro, Bobby Drake/Iceman and Kitty Pride/Shadowcat. The fifth student between Jubilee and Pyro is not named, just as her character is mentioned and never seen again for the rest of the film. However, her appearance closely resembles the mutant superhero Danielle Moonstar/Mirage. She was eventually played by Blu Hunt in The New Mutants (2020).
- #168
Kathryn Bigelow was attached to direct when development began in the early 1990s. Robert Rodriguez and Tim Burton were approached later but turned the offer down in favor of other films. Richard Donner (husband of producer Lauren Shuler Donner), Joel Schumacher, Brett Ratner, John McTiernan, Danny Boyle, Stephen Hopkins, Irvin Kershner and Paul W. S. Anderson were considered to direct before Bryan Singer was finally chosen. Ratner eventually directed X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
- #170
In the comics and in X-Men (1992), Rogue had red and white hair. In this film she has brown hair, but later she has brown and white hair.
- #172
Cyclops's motorcycle is a Harley-Davidson Titan V-Rod 1130.
- #173
Contains a major spoiler — show
Rogue's boyfriend in this film was named David (the boy she kisses when her powers are triggered). In the comics, Rogue's boyfriend was named Cody Robbins, who was later used in a plot by Bella Donna Boudreaux to kill Rogue. Although the plot failed, it resulted in Cody's death.
- #174
At one point during Singer's hiring, Jan de Bont was asked to direct, but he turned down the offer in order to make Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) instead.
- #176
The animated pilot for X-Men (1989), Pryde, disappointed fans by portraying Wolverine with an Australian accent. Producer Rick Hoberg said: "I ended up being the voice director on the show, and I had to use the Australian version of Wolverine because at the time all things Australian - the 'Mad Max' films, 'Crocodile Dundee' and the like - were popular." Coincidentally, Wolverine was played in the film series by the Australian Hugh Jackman, though without the accent.
- #177
Michael Jackson wanted to play Professor X.
- #178
Composer Michael Kamen was not a comic book fan, so in his own words he only tried to "represent Bryan Singer's style: a fairly serious film about humanity's capacity to categorize people by race, religion or species and to hold people prejudiced against them based on their inherent traits."
- #180
In a Reddit interview, Vivica A. Fox admitted she had been up for the role of Storm before it went to Halle Berry.
- #181
This was composer Michael Kamen's only comic book film.
- #183
Lucy Lawless, who was considered for Jean Gray, could not take the role because she was busy working on the hit series Xena: Warrior Princess (1995).
- #184
At the time of its release, it was the fourth highest-grossing superhero film worldwide, after Batman (1989), Batman Forever (1995) and Superman (1978).
- #186
Bryan Singer wanted John Ottman to do the music, but Ottman was busy directing Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000). Ottman would, however, work on all of Singer's subsequent X-Men films.
- #188
"Scott Summers" was one of the many alliterative names Stan Lee devised for his characters. Lee admitted that doing this helped him remember the names.
- #189
Hugh Jackman admitted he initially did not know that a wolverine was a real animal. He explained: "We don't have wolverines in Australia. I didn't know it was a real animal. I'd never heard the name Wolverine. I thought it was a made-up animal. You know, he has metal hands."
- #191
The song used in the promotional trailer is Curve: Chinese Burn (1998).
- #192
Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen and Bruce Davison were the only cast members alive when X-Men #1 was released in 1963. Famke Janssen was born a year later, in 1964.
- #193
The first posters for this film credited the screenplay to Christopher McQuarrie and Ed Solomon.
- #194
This was makeup artist Joel Harlow's first comic book film.
- #195
Wolverine's claws resemble the tekko-kagi, a Japanese knuckle-duster-type weapon with usually two (but sometimes three) blades, used by ninjas mostly as a concealed weapon (known in Japan as kakushi buki). The weapon was popularized as Shredder's trademark weapon in all incarnations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and by Vega in the Street Fighter video game series.
- #196
Hugh Jackman earned an estimated 100 million dollars from the X-Men series.
- #198
An unused promotional photo shows Hugh Jackman recreating the famous cover of Wolverine #1 (September 1982) drawn by Frank Miller.
- #200
Sir John Hurt was considered to play Magneto.
- #201
Famke Janssen was surprised that people still asked her about Jean Gray so often, years after she retired from the role. She reflected, "Interesting. I didn't realize it was such a big role. Out of every interview I do and everything I say, this will be the only thing that gets printed… I guess I should be proud that this character resonates with people. It's been so long, but it's nice that people still talk about her. I'm sure every time there's a new film [Marvel] makes… she'll resurface."
- #202
This is the only X-Men film co-produced by Marvel Enterprises and Marvel Entertainment Group, the former name of Marvel Entertainment.
- #204
Sir Ian McKellen and Bruce Davison had previously appeared together in Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and Apt Pupil (1998); the latter was also directed by Bryan Singer.
- #205
Longtime X-Men writer Chris Claremont always wanted Bob Hoskins to play Wolverine.
- #206
On the strength of this film's success, 20th Century Fox considered making a Thor TV series for UPN in which Tyler Mane would play Thor, but the series never came to fruition. Mane was later said to be set to play Thor in Thor (2011) before Chris Hemsworth was cast.
- #207
The film's Australian gala date (13 July 2000) coincided with the birthday of one of the cast members: Sir Patrick Stewart. He celebrated his 60th birthday that day.
- #209
Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen were considered to play William Clayton in Tarzan (1999).
- #211
In a 2013 interview with TIME magazine, Sir Patrick Stewart described how he formed a close friendship with Sir Ian McKellen on set: "On these kinds of films, you spend far more time sitting in your trailer waiting to act than you do acting. And we had magnificent luxury trailers. So we would hang out and talk."
- #212
Hugh Jackman recalled meeting Dougray Scott after taking over the role of Wolverine: "I met him early on and I said to him, 'Man, I'm sorry.' And he said, 'It's just a job, but you just got one of the best roles, so go kill it.' I remember being so impressed by that and by his class, and I hope I'm enough of a man to do the same when someone else takes over... and I'm happy to be part of that character's legacy. I feel great roles; great characters outlive the actors who play them by far. Bond, Superman, Batman... that's it."
- #213
Screenwriter David Hayter said 20th Century Fox was "extremely involved. Every word, every explanation. They were very worried that people wouldn't understand why there were 11 super-powered main characters, why their powers weren't the same, why they had different names on the street than they did at home." He added that he has "never since seen a studio that involved at the top of a production."
- #214
Future Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige served as producer Lauren Shuler Donner's assistant and was himself credited as an associate producer on the film. Producer Ralph Winter recalled Feige's contributions: "The studio wanted the widest possible audience, the biggest return on the money they deserved and needed. There was a pullback on staying faithful to the comic book. Kevin Feige was in the middle of all of it. He didn't have that loud a voice at the time, but he was careful and faithful about the characters and reminded us: 'Hey, you can do this, but this is where the character comes from. This is where the powers come from. So keep that in mind while you do this.'".
- #215
The animated series X-Men: Evolution (2000) was produced to coincide with the film's release. It premiered four months after the film opened.
- #216
It grossed $54 million domestically in its opening weekend, which was the biggest opening weekend for a superhero film at the time, beating Batman Forever (1995) and its $53 million.
- #217
Fox Entertainment CEO Bill Mechanic recalled his superiors' first reaction to the film: "They saw it and thought it was a disaster - why would anybody make a Marvel comic into a movie?"
- #218
Shaquille O'Neal expressed interest in playing Forge, but the character did not appear in the film.
- #219
Fox Entertainment CEO Bill Mechanic was a strong advocate for the film at the studio because he grew up reading the X-Men comics. He sold his childhood comic books to pay his tuition at USC.
- #220
Comic book writer Zeb Wells said: "Hugh Jackman, in the role of Wolverine, you can strongly argue that the entire superhero film industry is built on that performance, because his performance in X-Men showed everyone that if you take these characters seriously and bring them to the screen as they are loved and written in the comic book world, it works."
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- IMDb IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work