Looks like Entertainment Weekly dislikes the title X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. The magazine published an article last week regarding the name change, and included some details on the spin-off films:

The moniker [X-Men Origins: Wolverine] is a letdown - it sounds more like a cartoon than the latest entry in the macho, lucrative X-Men enterprise - as is the prequel strategy. It’s a tack that ignores the lesser-known mutants who could continue building the X-Men brand.

An origin about baddie Magneto is also in the works (no word yet if it will adopt the Origins handle), and it will follow his dogged pursuit of the mad Nazi scientist who tortured him during his adolescence.

So far, no other mutants are set for their own big-screen backstories. But “it’s a massive universe,” teases Fox co-president of production Alex Young. “The possibilities are endless.” As are, it seems, the opportunities for mind-boggling new titles.

The article also mentioned that an early script had Wolverine first appearing [possible minor spoiler] with bone claws.

ComingSoon lists the projected start dates for both X-Men spin-off films, Wolverine and Magneto. The Hugh Jackman spin-off is set to begin November 7th. Surprisingly, the Magneto spin-off is looking at a January 1st start date. 

The site notes that studios are making priority films before the possible Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes.

Thanks Steven!

Update: 20th Century Fox tells us they haven’t locked an official title yet, but it may be going in that direction (X-Men Origins). Stay tuned to XMF for the latest!

Our friends at IESB are reporting that they’re hearing Wolverine’s film will simply be titled WOLVERINE, while Magneto’s film is being changed to the X-MEN ORIGINS name we reported on earlier. Apparently, ‘Magneto’ director David Goyer drastically changed Sheldon Turner’s original script draft (which has been reviewed online).

The site also mentions that casting for WOLVERINE will begin this or next month, and the film will feature the debuts of some popular mutants that have yet to grace the screen.

Fans of the X-Men franchise seem to have mixed feelings about the upcoming spin-off films featuring Wolverine and Magneto. Will they compare to the X-Men films? Will they be epic? Well, if you are super-curious about MAGNETO, then you may want to head on over to IESB (clicky) and Obsessed With Film (clicky)! Both sites apparently obtained info from a script leak featuring the master of magnetism!

There’s still a while to go before MAGNETO begins filming, so anything you read now has the potential to be changed. As with any script news, there are SPOILERS, so be cautious when clicking the links!

Are the upcoming X-Men spin-off films featuring Wolverine and Magneto officially going with the title X-Men Origins? As of press time, 20th Century Fox had no comment…but we have discovered that besides those two previous website urls, the studio has also registered X-MenOrigins.com

How does ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ sound to you? Or could this be a title for an entirely different film? Hopefully we’ll find out soon enough!

Wizard Magazine online had a short chat with MAGNETO director, David Goyer about the upcoming X-Men spin-off film. The director mentions that they’re scouting locations and working on the budget.

“It’s the origins of the X-Men with Magneto and Charles Xavier. We’ve done some scouts and it mostly takes place in Europe and Argentina. We’re doing budgets and we’re sort of halfway crewed up, and that’ll be the big question: whether we can bring it in for a price. But that’s all I can say.”

Hopefully Fox does decide to name this [and the Wolverine] film ‘X-Men Origins’ (Example: X-Men Origins: Magneto). Seems like a perfect title, in our opinion!