Looking to the future one can see that just as the first movie laid the ground work for this film, it seems clear that X2 has set the stage for the inevitable third film!

Original Press Notes

They are the next link in the evolutionary chain. Each was born with a unique genetic mutation, which manifested itself in extraordinary powers. In a world increasingly filled with hatred and prejudice, they are outcasts who are feared and loathed by those who cannot accept their differences. Yet despite society’s pervasive ignorance, the X-Men and thousands of mutants across the globe survive.

Under the tutelage of Professor Charles Xavier, the world’s most powerful telepath, these “gifted” students have learned to control and direct their respective powers for the greater good of mankind. They fight to protect a world that fears them.

In X2, the next adventure in the X-Men saga, the X-Men face their most dangerous mission ever, and must stand united with their enemies to combat a menace that threatens mankind – and mutantkind.

AN “EVOLUTIONARY” LEAP

“X-Men” director Bryan Singer was determined to make X2 much more than a traditional sequel. Singer’s ambitions for the new film came as no surprise to the studio or to the film’s producers; his respect for the comics characters – the seriousness and weight, as well as enormous fun, with which he approached “X-Men” – had earned the respect of the multitudes of loyal comics fans and millions of moviegoers new to the X-Men universe.

Singer played the genre for real, giving “X-Men” a three-dimensional tone and style that served as a template for and inspired the reemergence of films based on comics properties. “Bryan grew to really love the X-Men characters and their universe, so there was no question about him directing X2,” says producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who began developing the first “X-Men” film nearly a decade ago. Echoes producer Ralph Winter: “Bryan has great insight into what makes the series such a popular piece of pop culture. And his ability to make these characters real – like they live next door – even though they possess incredible and sometimes dangerous powers, is pretty extraordinary.”

For X2, Singer would be painting on the huge canvas of big studio, event moviemaking, enjoying a larger budget and longer shooting schedule than was available for the first film. X2 also would ramp up the action, effects, locations and stunts that had captivated the comics enthusiasts and new fans.

Using the formidable resources at his disposable and no longer constrained by having to introduce the characters and their powers, Singer wanted to delve deeper into the X-Men mythology, and into their ...