Matthew Vaughn quit “X-Men: The Last Stand” over dirty trick to get Halle Berry to return as Storm

Matthew Vaughn explained why he rejected the offer to direct the 2006 film “X-Men: The Last Stand” after he learned about a studio executive’s plan to trick Halle Berry into reprising her role as Storm.

During the 2023 New York Comic Con, Vaughn revealed that a fake script — which fit Berry’s vision for what she wanted her character to be like — was allegedly created for the actor. That script, however, would be ditched once Berry agreed to the role, Vaughn claimed while recounting the hoopla.

“One of the main reasons I quit ‘X-Men 3,’ and this is a true story. I went into one of the executive’s offices and I saw an ‘X3’ script, and I immediately knew it was a lot fatter. I was like, ‘What the hell is this draft?’” Vaughn said. “He went, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ and I’m like, ‘No, no. I’m the director. I’m worrying about this draft.’ He wouldn’t tell me, so I grabbed it literally — it was like a crazy moment — opened the first page, and it said, ‘Africa. Storm. Kids dying of no water. She creates a thunderstorm and saves all these children.’”

“I thought it was a pretty cool idea,” Vaughn continued. “I said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is the Halle Berry script, because she hasn’t signed on yet. This is what she wants it to be. And once she signs on, we’ll throw it in the bin.’ I thought, if you’re going to do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm, I quit.”

Vaughn ultimately dropped out of the production just two weeks before filming began, later signing on to direct and co-write the 2011 film “X-Men: First Class.”