'X-Men Apocalypse' to focus on Lawrence's Mystique

HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 5 (UPI) —

X-Men: Apocalypse will put more focus on Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique than previous films in the franchise, co-writer Simon Kinberg said.

Kinberg, who is also the co-producer in the latest offering from the superhero series, said the story line will feature the relationship between Mystique and the Beast, played by Nicholas Hoult, Lawrence’s real-life ex-boyfriend.

"The relationship between Beast and Mystique is a really interesting one that we didn’t have a lot of time to explore in Days of Future Past so we’ll have an opportunity to do more of that in Apocalypse," Kinberg told Collider.

The film will also explore the impact Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) each had on Mystique.

"Part of what’s really interesting about Mystique’s character is that she is, in some ways, the child of both Erik and Charles," he told the site. "She grew up with Charles and then she sort of became a woman with Erik, so her being the cross-pollination, if you will, of those two philosophies and those two men is something we can explore in the movie, too."

Kinberg said X-Men: Apocalypse is the close of the trilogy that began with X-Men: First Class and most recently included X-Men: Days of Future Past.

"I will say that [X-Men: Apocalypse] is definitely the close of a trilogy for those First Class characters, which isn’t to say we won’t see them in future movies, hopefully we will, but it’s a completion of an arc for them," he said. "I think that the friendship between Erik and Charles, which has always been so integral to the franchise, is something we’re continuing to explore and hopefully deepen with Apocalypse."

X-Men: Apocalypse is expected to hit theaters May 18, 2016.