As X-Men: Days Of Future Past went into production it seemed there were almost too many mutants for one film, with nearly all the original cast as well as their First Class counterparts signed up. Now it seems there simply isn’t time for all of them, as director Bryan Singer has revealed that Anna Paquin’s Rogue has already ended up on the cutting room floor.
Singer told EW Paquin was due to be part of a rescue sequence that was shot early in the film’s production schedule. It also featured Magneto (Ian McKellen), Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore).
However, he added, “Through the editing process, the sequence became extraneous. It’s a really good sequence and it will probably end up on the DVD so people can see it. But like many things in the editing process, it was an embarrassment of riches and it was just one of the things that had to go. Unfortunately, it was the one and only sequence Anna Paquin was in, the Rogue character was in. Even though she’s in the materials and part of the process of making the film, she won’t appear in it.”
He did want to add that the decision had nothing to do with her performance.”She did a fantastic job,” Singer says. “She was awesome in the sequence. She’s a brilliant actress. I would work with her in a heartbeat.”
He told Paquin the news personally, and .”She completely understood. It’s very disappointing, but she’s very professional and she knows that stuff happens, particularly with material you shoot early on in production. Films evolve.”
The news also confirms that some of the original cast will have little more than cameos, and it’s possible a couple more may not make the final cut. We’ll have to see who ends up in the film when it’s released next May.