The Big Picture Although the original Superman and Batman franchises certainly proved that comic book films had the potential to become summer tentpoles, the genre had essentially died by the dawn of the 21st century. The successive failures of films like Steel, Judge Dredd, Batman & Robin, and Spawn suggested a grim future for superhero movies on the big screen, but thankfully, 20th Century Fox revitalized the genre with the overwhelming success of X-Men.
Release Date July 14, 2000 Director Bryan Singer Cast Hugh Jackman , Patrick Stewart , Ian McKellen , Famke Janssen , James Marsden , Halle Berry Runtime 104 minutes Writers Tom DeSanto , Bryan Singer , David Hayter Where Was ‘X-Men’ Filmed? Compared to the massive franchise that it would inspire, the original X-Men film is fairly straightforward in its narrative construction.
The X-Men films are unique among comic book films because they have a firm basis in reality, aiming to show how mankind might actually react to the emergence of mutants. The tactical location of the Parkwood Estate aided the first X-Men film in establishing a sense of realism that would remain throughout the rest of the series.
Although it became synonymous with the revitalization of the Marvel cinematic brand in the X-Men franchise, the Parkwood Estate also played a key role in several projects based on DC properties. The area was used as Lex Luthor’s family estate in several key episodes of Smallville that focus on the future supervillain’s rise to power. The large scope of the mansion and its surrounding properties only made the small, reclusive nature of Clark Kent’s family home look more quaint in comparison.