Bryan Singer shows off a Full-Size Sentinel from X-Men: Days of Future Past

Bryan Singer recently spoke with Empire regarding the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past.

“It takes place in the future and the past and then all over the world, from Russia to China, then France, and Washington, New York,” he says. “It’s got scope, but most of the scope is in the breadth of the story.”

That story is inspired by the classic Chris Claremont/John Byrne comic-book arc, which takes place in a possible future where mutantkind has been virtually wiped out by giant robots called Sentinels. A rogue group of X-fugees, led by Wolverine and Storm, try to save the future by changing the past, so they send one of their number back in time to hook up with the early X-Men.

It’s not a straight adaptation, though. “It’s its own story, inspired by Days Of Future Past,” insists Singer. Days Of Future Past, the comic, doesn’t feature Professor X or Magneto, but Days Of Future Past, the movie, operates as a follow-up to X-Men: First Class and the original trilogy. “I’d say it’s not a sequel to one of the others,” says Singer. “It’s an inbetwequel — that’s what I call it, for lack of a better word. It takes place about ten years, give or take, after X-Men 3; and in the past it takes place about ten years after First Class.”

Which means it features two sets of Professor Xs and Magnetos: the Patrick Stewart-plus-Ian McKellen vintage, and the James McAvoy-plus-Michael Fassbender models introduced in First Class. “They’re in a radically different place,” explains Singer of the latter. “Charles is in a very dark hole when we meet him, and Erik has been gathering his power.”

The film will be released in theater on May 23rd, 2014.