Ian McKellen Sees His Future In X-Men Movies

Actor Sir Ian McKellen has said he would like to be a part of the X-Men franchise for many years to come.

Speaking at the London premiere of the seventh X-Men film, called Days Of Future Past, Sir Ian told Sky News he had no intentions of laying his character to rest.

"As long as the people making the film are the same, as long it is the same team, then I hope I would be invited to join along," said the star, who plays Magneto.

"And I don't see why X-Men can't go on a lot longer."

It was a sentiment shared by his co-star Sir Patrick Stewart who is confident his character, Professor Charles Xavier, has a future in the series.

"Making these movies has been as much fun as I've ever had, right from the beginning in 1998," Stewart said.

"It's called X-Men and I don't see how you can make X-Men without Xavier."

Days of Future Past boasts an ensemble cast as the characters from the original X-Men films join forces with their younger selves to change both the past and the future.

Professor Charles Xavier is played by both Sir Patrick and James McAvoy, and Magneto is played once again by Sir Ian and Michael Fassbender.

For the second time, Jennifer Lawrence is the shape-shifting Raven/Mystique, and Halle Berry makes her first X-Men appearance since 2003 as Storm.

Lawrence was not on the blue carpet in Leicester Square for the premiere, during which hundreds of passionate fans had to cope with heavy downpours.

"If it wasn't for the level of support from the fans, we wouldn't be doing these movies and they wouldn't be as big as they are," said McAvoy.

"People connect with these stories in such a passionate and committed way that you can't help but have a huge movie born out of that.

"It's an incredible world that these films are set in, full of conflict, full of persecution for people being different. That's a serious basis on which to base good entertainment. It's a true human experience.

"They are not 'super problems' that these super heroes have; they are very human problems and I love being a part of that."

X-Men: Days of Future Past is released in the UK on May 22.