With X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST running the risk of confusing many an audience member, it appears that Sir Ian McKellen is also struggling to keep up with things.

Speaking to EW about DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, McKellen said, “I don’t always understand the plot of these films until I actually see them with an audience. It’s all about going into the past, basically, and so I don’t get to go into the past. I don’t think I’m spoiling it by saying that. But we are there in the beginning when the plot is hatched.”

The legendary actor then gave a comparison between two of his most famous roles, Magneto and Gandalf. “The odd thing about a Gandalf,” McKellen said, “is that he’s good through and through. Magneto is a bit of both. He’s well-intentioned, but he perhaps politically is not very sound, and I’m not sure that I quite agree with his tactics.”

The DAYS OF FUTURE PAST comic arc features an alternative future where all mutants are hunted by Sentinels after a key senator was assassinated by a group of rogue mutants. Using time travel, the Kitty Pryde tries to warn the younger X-Men of what terror is to come so that they can stop the assassination and save the future. The film adaptation is going to have Wolverine be sent back in time by Kitty, mainly due to the audience’s love of Jackman’s Logan and the timeline meaning Kitty hasn’t yet been born ‘back in the day.’

Forming quite the ensemble cast, the film sees James McAvoy as the younger Professor X, Patrick Stewart as the older Professor X, Michael Fassbender as the younger Magneto, Ian McKellen as the older Magneto, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Halle Berry as Storm, Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, Daniel Cudmore as Colossus, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. Evan Peters as Quicksilver, Omar Sy as Bishop, Fan Binbing as Blink, Lucas Till as Havok, Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask and Josh Helman as a young William Stryker. It also seems as if Booboo Stewart will be playing Warpath, with an as yet unconfirmed role for Adan Canto. Then there are several strong reports that James Marsden will be returning as Cyclops.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will be released on  23rd May, 2014.

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