X-Men: Apocalypse to Take Place One Decade After Days of Future Past

"X-Men" writer Simon Kinberg revealed several plot details about the highly anticipated "X-Men: Apocalypse," including its timeline relative to its predecessor, "X-Men: Days of Future Past." "Apocalypse" will take place ten years after the events of "Days of Future Past," in the year 1983. He also discussed the potential for appearances from certain beloved X-Men characters.

"Young Cyclops could be in the 70s. He could be in future X-Men movies in the past," said Kinberg on a Q+A podcast with Jegg Goldsmith. "In terms of the math, [Storm, Jean Grey and Cyclops] would be in their early teens. The next movie takes place in 1983." From this quotation and other early buzz, the next film is expected to focus on the younger cohort of characters, with the notable addition of Gambit, played by Channing Tatum. Simon Kinberg and Bryan Singer will return to write and direct, respectively.

The title "Apocalypse" is presumably a double entendre that refers both to a world-threatening event and the villain from the X-Men comics of the same name. The character Apocalypse is possibly the first living being with the X mutant gene, clocking in at 5,000 years old. In the X-Men series, he emerges as the evil leader of a ruling class of mutants that has taken over the world and enslaved humans.

The film follows "Days of Future Past," which was both a box-office and critical success. To date, it has garnered over $662 million worldwide, and currently has a 91% positive rating on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.