X-Men: Bryan Singer thinks Mystique could carry standalone movie

X-Men: Apocalypse just hit theaters a week ago, but director Bryan Singer is already thinking about where the mutant franchise could go next.

During an appearance on The Empire Film Podcast, Singer said he’d be interested in a spin-off film centered on Mystique, the character played by Jennifer Lawrence in the last three X-Men films.

“I think [Mystique’s] right for [a standalone movie], whether it’s Jennifer [Lawrence] or not,” he said, noting the shape-shifting mutant has a different view on the world. “Xavier can get into Cerebro and look at the world but he’d rather just teach classes and see the beauty of mutants and humans co-existing in his mansion in Westchester. Along comes Raven with a reality check on the state of the world. It opens up a lot of avenues.”

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Lawrence’s three-picture deal expired with Apocalypse, along with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Nicholas Hoult (who play Charles Xavier, Magneto, and Beast, respectively). The actress recently told EW she’s unsure if she’ll return for another X-Men film.

“Fassbender and McAvoy and I were all talking,” she said, “Like, ‘Will you come back?’ ‘I dunno.’ ‘I’ll come back, if you come back.’ Fox should be terrified because the deal we made was like if one of us doesn’t come back, none of us are.”

Lawrence added, “I would love to come back. I love the fans and I love the character. But then you realize how important your year is, like how important three months out of your year is. I don’t know. I shouldn’t be that honest.”

Hear more from Singer’s podcast interview at Empire. For more on X-Men: Apocalypse, check out EW’s recent cover story.