James McAvoy, who plays the younger Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" films, leaked in an interview last week that "X-Men: Apocalypse" will have a biblical context.
The actor was asked at a red carpet screening how the next film will top the box office success of "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and revealed that "Apocalypse" will address the creation of mankind.
"What I think is really epic about 'Apocalypse'—bearing in mind I have had no communication with [writer] Simon [Kinberg] about what he's thinking—is the fact that it seems to be going kind of biblical. It seems to be going back to the origins of the species," McAvoy told MTV.
If McAvoy is correct, "Apocalypse" will be the latest in a succession of film and television projects to have a biblical theme.
It was recently announced that financing is set for "Christ the Lord," the film adaptation of Anne Rice's best-selling novel "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt," and a film about the 40 days following Jesus' crucifixion, titled "Resurrection," is slated for an Easter 2015 release.
Blockbuster films "God's Not Dead" and "Noah" proved that movies with religious themes can be big moneymakers for Hollywood studios, and "X-Men" has already proved to be a successful franchise.
"X-Men" producer and writer Simon Kinberg said the movies have a broader appeal by incorporating sub-genres into the superhero motif.
"One of the things we did with 'Days of Future Past' is it's a time travel movie, and with 'Apocalypse,' it's a global disaster movie," he told MTV.
"It has some of the sort of [famed disaster film creator] Roland Emmerich scope and scale to it that you haven't really seen in this kind of comic book movie."
"X-Men" fans who enjoyed watching younger versions of their favorite characters on the big screen will be pleased with "Apocalypse" as well. Kinberg revealed that the new film may feature more of these youthful portrayals.
The next "X-Men" installment will have another Memorial Day weekend release. "X-Men: Apocalypse" will appear in theaters May 27, 2016.
