Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Franklin Gates, an archaeologist and adventurer looking for the legendary lost treasure of the Templar Knights, spurred on by the stories he was told as a young man by his grandfather, John Adams Gates, twenty years before. John tells Ben the secret hiding place for the treasure is encoded on the back of the Declaration of Independence, placed there by none other than the founders of the United States of America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Ben's father, Patrick Henry Gates, is more than well aware that treasure hunting has been the curse of the Gates family, and has soured on the entire idea. With the help of his best friend and partner in crime, a sarcastic, thrill seeking computer expert named Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), Riley and his team careen from one grave predicament to another.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Christopher Plummer
The film is set in the 1960s – the dawn of the Space Age, and a time filled with the hope of JFK’s Camelot. But it was also the height of the Cold War, when escalating tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union threatened the entire planet – and when the world discovered the existence of mutants.
It is also during this period that Charles Xavier met Erik Lehnsherr. Before Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers. Before they were archenemies they were the closest of friends, working together and with other mutants to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. Some of these young mutant recruits are fan favorites from the previous X-Men films, while others are classic heroes from the comics but new to the film series. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS provides answers to questions that have long intrigued fans of the movies or comics: How did the X-Men come together? Why is Charles in a wheelchair? Where did the X-Mansion and Cerebro come from? But its themes and historical context will resonate with those unfamiliar with the other films in the series.
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz
Producer: Lauren Shuler Donner