In the past, we've been forced to take reports from comic book writer Mark Millar with a grain of salt.  He has a nasty habit of taking development matters that are in flux, and then declaring them as fact.  However, now that he's a creative consultant on Fox's Marvel properties, his insider info carries a little more weight.  In a recent interview with SFX magazine, Millar commented on Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past, the role of the Sentinels, what Kitty Pryde fans can expect, and more.

Hit the jump for Millar's comments on the upcoming sequel.  The film stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, and Hugh Jackman.   X-Men: Days of Future Past opens July 18, 2014.

For those unfamiliar with the comic, the overall plot of the story essentially centers on the characters in the past being warned about and—trying to avoid—a very unappealing dystopian future.  In the comics arc, Kitty Pryde plays a major role as she communicates with the characters in the past to warn them of a major assassination that’s going to take place in her present.

In the future, mutants are on the verge of extinction after nearly being wiped out by giant robots known as "Sentinels".  The Sentinels were briefly glimpsed in the Danger Room in X-Men: The Last Stand, but Millar tells SFX that the giant robots are going to play a larger role in Days of Future Past:

"I don’t really want to give too much away but the Sentinels are a big feature of this story. They will be cool and this will deliver on all of the teasers. We’ve all been waiting for this ever since X-Men: The Last Stand showed us one of their heads. Now it is finally coming, and we only have to pay ten quid to see it in the cinema whereas they’re having to pay $100 million to deliver it. So I’m delighted [laughs]."

First, allow me to congratulation Millar on a level of discretion.  Second, he's right that a larger burden is going to fall on Singer and his special effects team.  Also, the film will probably be in 3D, so there's that aspect to consider as well.

Regarding the large cast, Millar compares it to Star Trek or Lost where there "is an ensemble but every character gets their own moment to shine. So as long as everyone is there for a reason there doesn’t need to be a problem with so many characters."  It's a bit of a dodge from Millar since most of the movie reportedly takes place in 1973, but because Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) travels back in time in the book, what does this mean for her role?

"Ach, I cannae get into that [laughs]. As soon as I say something it will turn into a big internet story. Let me put it this way though: Kitty Pryde fans will not be disappointed."

It would be nice to see Page get a larger part since she obviously has the acting chops to handle it.  However, July 18, 2014 is still a long ways off, so eventually we'll get a better idea of where she'll fit into this massive cast.