Celebrity Buzz: 'X-Men: First Class': Everything We've Seen So Far

Before the hotly anticipated trailer debuts, we thumb through our first peeks at Magneto, Charles Xavier, Emma Frost and more.
By Eric Ditzian

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr in "X-Men: First Class"
Photo: Murray Close

The first trailer for "X-Men: First Class" is only hours away from going live on the film's Facebook page, giving us our first look at footage from the upcoming superhero flick.

It's been a long time coming, considering that Fox first gave a go-ahead for the script back in 2008. Since then, we've gleaned all sorts of insight into the project, from interviews with behind-the-scenes players to production rumors to casting confirmations. And since filming began late last summer, we've been gifted with a slew of set photos and official production shots. Before the trailer arrives, let's review everything we've seen so far.

First Look at January Jones
Our initial peek at "X-Men" came early last September, when photos of the "Mad Men" star — in full, fur-hatted costume as telepathic Emma Frost — popped up online. The aesthetic for the outfit seemed to be retro-futuristic, at once in keeping with the film's '60s-era setting and the mutants' ahead-of-the-human-curve outlook. The photos also indicated — based on the presence of a red-starred jeep and helicopter — that the military will somehow factor into the story line.

Meet James McAvoy
Weeks later, we got our first look at McAvoy as Charles Xavier. Although taken at night and a little blurry, the photos once again showcased the film's retro vibe. According to a report from an onlooker on the Oxford, England, set, the scene in question features Xavier "getting doctorates in theology and philosophy from Oxford University in the 1960s, his manipulation of student uprisings using his psychic powers and the way he meets best friend-turned-archrival Magneto."

The Fallen Blackbird
By December, the production had shifted Stateside and we got a tantalizing look at Xavier's Blackbird ship. The aerial shots seemed to indicate the ship had crashed on a beach. The actual location of the shoot was an island off the coast of Georgia, but speculation suggested the in-film setting would be Muir Island, Scotland, where Xavier conducts experiments to better understand the mutant gene. Weeks later, a supposed "X-Men" storyboard indicated that a mutant may be responsible for a Blackbird crash.

Look at All Those Mutants!
In January, a photo popped up showing a bunch of mutants together, including Jones, McAvoy, Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert) and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique). It turned out the photo was an early leak, and director Matthew Vaughn was not pleased.

"When I found out, I said, 'What the f--- is this sh--?' and Fox is running around trying to figure out what happened as well," he said. "I agree. It's like a bad Photoshop, which maybe it was by someone. It didn't reflect the movie. I was shocked when I saw it."

Official photos soon arrived: Kevin Bacon as Hellfire Club baddie Sebastian Shaw, rocking an ascot and talking business with Jones; Fassbender and James McAvoy looking stylish and concerned alongside some of their mutant students; a helmet-clad Fassbender as Magneto; and McAvoy employing Xavier's gift of telepathy.

Most recently, looks at Magento from behind and the full X-Men logo were published on Wednesday, ahead of the trailer premiere.

"I'm a fan of X-Men. We're not bastardizing X-Men, I'm trying to get them back to being whole again," Vaughn said. "It's definitely more serious and more realistic, and I think that's something that had to happen. That's my feeling about the world we live in right now. I think the glossy colorful superhero film sorta had its day."

Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."

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