X-Men Apocalypse: Bryan Singer Confirms Four New Villains

X-Men: Days of Future Past director has just released an InstaGram photo of the X-Men: Apocalypse treatment, and although only part of the text is visible four words are clearly capitalized: THE FOUR HORSEMEN.

Although the identity of the supervillain in the seventh X-Men movie was pretty obvious as soon as they announced the film’s title, this is the first news we have had confirming additional rogues who will also appear in the upcoming sequel, currently slated for release on May 27, 2016. The new film is expected to also mark the return of the certain members of the original X-Men cast and as well as Gambit, played by Channing Tatum (taking over from X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star Taylor Kitsch), who is then expected to spin off into his own solo movie.

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Fans of the comic books already know that The Four Horsemen – mutants who follow the villain Apocalypse and do his bidding – have taken many different forms over the past few decades, and featured original villains as well as fallen heroes. The role of “Death” has been filled by Angel, Gambit, Wolverine and Psylocke at one point or another. Sunfire has taken the position of “Famine,” Mr. Sinister was “Pestilence” once and even The Hulk once acted as the horseman “War,” although he’ll never appear in an X-Men movie so long as the rights to these superheroes are divided between various studios.

[CORRECTION: We have now been informed that Psylocke was never “technically” a Horseman of Apocalypse, but that she was instead merely “infected by Archangel’s Death seed.” Our apologies.]

With the members of the Four Horsemen this varied over the years, there doesn’t seem to be a “classic” version of the team that Bryan Singer would feel the need to stick to. In fact, he could easily take any mutant from the X-Men universe and make them one of The Horsemen of Apocalypse. Which ones will he choose? Or will the horsemen only appear in flashbacks to Apocalypse’s reign in Egypt (as the treatment’s reference to the Nile may tacitly suggest)?

We’ll find out eventually. Until then, let the speculation begin.

This Week in Film News – Week Ending 07/04/14

William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.