Hollywood, California-based production house Cinesite will be providing visual effects for the 20th Century Fox feature X-MEN 2, scheduled to be in theaters May 2, 2003. In this sequel to 2000's X-MEN, Brian Cox (THE BOURNE IDENTITY) portrays the villainous Stryker, a former Army commander who holds the key to Wolverine's past - as well as the future of the X-MEN. The original cast from X-MEN will return, joined by Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, a mutant who can teleport himself from one point to another almost instantaneously. In addition, X-MEN 2 will feature a cast of mutant children, known as the X-Kids. X-MEN 2 reunites Cinesite with director Bryan Singer, producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, executive producers Avi Arad and Tom DeSanto, cinematographer Tom Sigel, ASC and visual effects supervisor Mike Fink. Cinesite's creative team will be led by visual effects supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum and visual effects producer Ralph Horan. Rosenbaum earned an Academy Award and BAFTA for his visual effects work on FORREST GUMP. He has also worked on such notable projects as THE PERFECT STORM, JURASSIC PARK, TERMINATOR 2 and DEATH BECOMES HER. Horan is co-founder of Vanishing Point Entertainment, from which he will be on hiatus for the production. Prior to that he was vice president/head of production for Sony Pictures Imageworks when that facility was handling visual effects for STARSHIP TROOPERS, CONTACT, CITY OF ANGELS, ANACONDA and GODZILLA. Cinesite will provide visuals for some two-thirds of the effects shots in X-MEN 2, which recently began principal photography in Vancouver. Cinesite is also at work on other upcoming feature films including SPY KIDS 2, DIE ANOTHER DAY, RED DRAGON and SOLARIS.
