Anna will go from this... ...to this. Movie magic!

Though we haven't even seen the costumes yet, outfitting everyone's favorite mutants for their upcoming movie is already generating a fair share of rumors and controversy.

November 24, 1999

Seems that we think about the X-Men movie near constantly these days. Burning questions keep us up well into the night...questions such as: How will the Jean Grey/Cyclops/Wolverine triangle play out onscreen? Can Halle Berry really pull off Storm? And what can we possibly get into raging debates over now that the thing's all cast?

Well, how about the costumes, for starters. We know that the respected Bob Ringwood (Batman, Alien: Resurrection) and Bryan Singer favorite Louise Mingenbach (The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil) are creating the costumes (for more on that, check out this IGN Movies story), but we can't help but wonder how exactly the mutants' comic book-friendly attire is going to translate to live action and the big screen. So far, the only glimpse we've gotten of the costumes is that little peek at Cyclops' visor and sunglasses...but what about the rest of the X-Wear? Below, a guide to the key issues inherent in outfitting everyone's favorite mutants. For a detailed report on the rumors surrounding each character's costume, check out our trusty affiliate, Coming Attractions.

Spandex Sucks: We've said it before, and we'll say it again. And again. Spandex, though perfectly fine in the pages of a comic book, looks mighty stupid on a real, human form (see: Billy Zane in The Phantom). Luckily, rumors seem to indicate that everyone involved is doing their best to come up with satisfying alternatives. For example, the report on Coming Attractions indicates that Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Cyclops (James Marsden) wear Matrix-esque, black leather jumpsuits -- probably going for a more modern effect. Also, Rogue (Anna Paquin) will wear some kind of hooded suit, but her costume will supposedly not contain any yellow. Apparently, yellow looks crappy on film, which brings us to our next issue...

Wolverine: Brown or Yellow? Will Wolvie (Hugh Jackman) be attired in the orange and brown number, or the yellow costume? Or maybe a different costume altogether? Judging from various fan and rumor rumblings, it's the orange and brown. This is probably a good thing, since, though Wolvie's yellow costume plays very nicely on the page, having him run around in a bright, sunny yellow number onscreen would probably look supremely dorky and not at all menacing.

Magneto Menacing? Speaking of menacing, what of the film's arch-villain, Magneto (Ian McKellen)? Though there have been rumblings that McKellen isn't imposing enough (and, boy, do we ever disagree with that), we're more worried about what they're going to make him wear. Everything from a simple black suit to Nazi-esque garb to the familiar red and purple number has been mentioned. We'd gravitate away from doing full-on red and purple, but keeping the helmet might be a good idea -- so long as it doesn't end up looking like some cheesy, plastic Halloween costume.

Naked Mystique: Well, some of you should be excited about this, anyway. Rebecca Romijin-Stamos has been gabbing quite a lot as of late about her Mystique costume, or lack thereof. The actress told Comics Continuum that her body was painted blue for the role, a process that took several hours to put together and clean up. It's been reported that the blue make-up, is, in fact, the extent of Mystique's costume, along with some strategically-placed scales. In the words of the great Keanu Reeves...Whoa.

Will the X-Men Look Like..the X-Men? Though it's good that the designers are making costume changes so that the characters will be more adaptable to the big screen, some fans are worried that one of the most iconic superhero teams of all time will end up being unrecognizable. To that end, we can at least take comfort in a couple of other rumors. According to Coming Attractions, Rogue will sport the familiar white streak in her hair. Also, various sources have it that the previously mentioned Matrix jumpsuits are not the only costumes for Cyke and Jean, so who knows what else we'll get to see them in?

Overall, we just hope we'll be able to recognize our favorite characters...and that we won't have to be embarrassed for them because someone got it into his or her head that Wolverine would look really good in polka dots.