A veteran of the X-Men film series has publicly urged a young, independent filmmaker to take control of the franchise. Famke Janssen, who portrayed Jean Grey in five X-Men movies, told an audience at the Mediterrane Film Festival in Malta last week that director Kane Parsons deserves a chance to helm a future X-Men instalment.
Her endorsement came during a masterclass appearance when a moderator asked directly whether Parsons should be given the reins. Janssen responded without hesitation: “Absolutely.” Janssen had already praised Parsons and his collaborator Curry Barker, the co-creator of the viral sensation Backrooms. She described their work as paradigm-shifting, noting that they are two young men who built their own audiences on YouTube, took their careers into their own hands, and for very little money created films that are incredibly creative and entertaining.
“They’re analog, they’re not AI driven or CGI heavy films,” she said. What struck her most, she added, was the practical approach Parsons took to filmmaking. Backrooms was shot using real-life labyrinthine sets rather than digital effects.
Her verdict on the film itself was blunt: “Backrooms is like Stanley Kubrick on crack.”
Endorsement from a Franchise Veteran
Janssen’s comments carry weight given her long history with the X-Men franchise. She first appeared as Jean Grey at the turn of the century and reprised the role across multiple sequels. Her career spans far beyond the superhero genre, however.
Before the X-Men films, she appeared in a James Bond picture in the mid-1990s and landed a guest role on a Star Trek television episode. She declined a recurring part on Star Trek to pursue movie roles instead.
In 2008 she took on a United Nations goodwill role, demonstrating activity beyond traditional acting. Janssen later moved into directing and took on television roles on both sides of the Atlantic. Her path from modeling to franchise actor to director gives her observations on emerging filmmakers a firm basis in hands-on industry experience.
At the Malta festival, the conversation did not revisit a prior comment she had made about Marvel, and she remained open but non-committal when asked about her own potential return to the X-Men universe.
A Shift Away from Blockbuster Norms
For Janssen, the success of Parsons and Barker holds significance far beyond a single film. “It just opened a door, not just for them, but for other people to say, ‘We don’t have to go with this old-fashioned system where we make a movie for $300 million,’” she said.
Her public support of such work signals that established Hollywood figures are questioning long-standing production norms and pointing to cheaper, practical methods as legitimate alternatives. The rise of creators like Kane Parsons reflects a broader shift where independent artists build audiences through online video rather than traditional studio systems. Janssen, a Dutch actress and former fashion model who moved from the Netherlands to the United States in 1984 to begin a modeling career before transitioning to screen acting, has witnessed the industry evolve.
Her endorsement suggests she sees a different future for the X-Men franchise—one that starts with a young filmmaker and a labyrinth, not a green screen. What this means for fans of the X-Men universe remains unclear.
But Janssen’s words at the Mediterrane Film Festival make one thing plain: she believes that films made on practical sets, for modest budgets, can reach audiences in ways that expensive, CGI-heavy blockbusters cannot. And she believes that a filmmaker who proved that point deserves a shot at one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.
