The further away we get from this past summer that suffered something of a comic book movie overload, I feel more and more as though X-Men: First Class was the best of the bunch. This made the supposed unlikelihood of a sequel all the more disappointing — especially when you remember that Fox is funneling many of their resources to make yet another movie featuring Wolverine. As always, box office was cited as the main problem; it wasn’t a disaster, merely “soft.”

Fear not, Xavier and/or Magneto’s army, as SuperheroHype reports that Fox has hired First Class producer Simon Kinberg to write a sequel, one Matthew Vaughn and the main cast are all expected to return for. If you’re instantly dissuaded by his screenwriting credits — which include X-Men: The Last Stand, Jumper, Mr. & Mrs Smith, and next year’s This Means War — remember that Vaughn and his frequent creative partner, Jane Goldman, completely rewrote the original script. I don’t see him coming aboard as a director without the right to work with her again, and if they do collaborate, it might be wise to expect the same thing to happen here.

So, the biggest question then becomes a shooting date. Much of the cast, particularly Michael Fassbender, are busy with projects for at least the next year; a pre-existing contract could solve any potential problems, but Vaughn is also considering the comic book adaptation Superior, among some other things. If this ends up not interfering — and so long as the script is done and everyone is free — it wouldn’t be crazy for them to go into production within, say, a year.

If so, I’d be pretty happy. While First Class was far from a perfect film — half of the characters could be disposed of, there’s a lack of tonal balance, and the ending is far too rushed — it featured one of the best performances to ever grace the genre with Fassbender‘s portrayal of Magneto; did action scenes properly in terms of both consistency and direction; and, what’s more, breathed life into what’s arguably the deadest of all comic book movie franchises. Plus, when you remember that Vaughn would like to open the next installment with Magneto controlling “the magic bullet” that killed Kennedy, the possibilities begin to feel very wide. That’s more than I can say for most other comic book films.

Were you a fan of First Class? Is a sequel something that has you interested?