X-Men 4 is in the works after all?

And no, we’re not talking about the Wolverine spin-off — that’s a whole other movie entirely. Reports the LA Daily News:

The surprise clip at the end of this summer’s “X-Men: The Last Stand,” belied the film’s title, leaving room for yet another stand of the mutant brigade. But when and which of the mutant posse will be back are the outstanding questions. Exec producer Lauren Shuler Donner reports that renegotiations will be in order for the fourth installment of the big-screen sagas.

“The newer cast members are signed, and the older cast members are not.” Considering the older names involved — Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Romijn, Famke Janssen and Anna Paquin — that could run into a huge chunk of money.

All that’s putting the cart before the wolverine, of course, since Hugh Jackman is set to reprise his role as the manicure-challenged mutant superhero in his own film. “Next, we’re going to do ‘Wolverine,’ but not before the end of the year because he’s in the Baz Luhrmann film,” she says of the filmmaker’s untitled Australian epic with Nicole Kidman. However, “We have the script and are working on it.”

Shuler Donner reports, “We also have ‘Young Magneto’ in development.” . . .

And so the law of diminishing returns will continue …