Not many are rushing to defend Bryan Singer these days, and his longtime collaborator John Ottman is no exception. The Oscar-winning editor and composer, who worked with Singer on multiple films, recently pulled back the curtain on the chaotic production of X-Men: Apocalypse. In a candid interview on the Half the Picture podcast, Ottman described the film as a logistical disaster that nearly derailed the franchise.
According to Ottman, the creative team behind the X-Men films grew complacent after the massive success of X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. That film, widely hailed as one of the best superhero movies of the decade, had a smooth production process. Ottman recalled providing instant feedback during editing, which writer-producer Simon Kinberg and his team would quickly implement. The result was a film that required minimal reshoots.
But when it came time for Apocalypse, everything fell apart. Ottman said he flagged major script issues early on, but his concerns were ignored. Worse, Singer was reportedly missing in action on set at times. The film entered production without a solid third act, forcing the team to scramble during post-production. “I was given the script, and I had pages and pages of notes,” Ottman said. “I see things that are going to blow up in my face. For my own sanity, I can’t let the script be the way it is. Then we go into production and we have no third act. It’s not unheard of, and I guess Marvel films that way, too. They have no ending and they just wing it.”
The lack of a coherent ending created massive logical gaps in the climax. Ottman and the second unit director had to improvise on the fly, relying on voice-overs and last-minute fixes to patch things together. “So, a lot of the problems I thought were going to happen, they exploded in my face,” he explained. “For the third act, we were huddling with the team and the second unit director, and just coming up with s**t… Thank God for voice-overs… I don’t have good memories, but it’s also just a blur. It was a total, total, total nightmare to get that thing to where it was.”
Despite the behind-the-scenes chaos, X-Men: Apocalypse managed to gross nearly $550 million worldwide on a $178 million budget. However, critical reception was lukewarm, with the film earning a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The franchise never fully recovered, ending with the disastrous Dark Phoenix in 2019. Now, Marvel Studios is planning a full reboot, with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier reportedly at the helm. For fans eager to see the X-Men return to the big screen, casting rumors suggest Marvel is seeking unknown young actors to bring the team to the MCU.
Ottman’s revelations add to the long list of troubled productions in Singer’s career. The director has faced multiple allegations of misconduct, and his reputation remains tarnished. For Ottman, the Apocalypse experience was a painful reminder of what happens when a film lacks a clear vision from the start. “A lot of the problems I thought were going to happen, they exploded in my face,” he reiterated.
As the X-Men prepare for their MCU debut, fans can only hope the reboot avoids the same pitfalls. In the meantime, Ottman’s candid account serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of winging it in Hollywood. For more on the franchise’s future, check out our coverage of the X-Men '97 Season 2 trailer and its hints at a massive Deadpool crossover.
