Hugh Jackman and James McAvoy helped Virgin Trains officially name its exclusive 11 carriage Pendolino train at London Euston station yesterday. As the official travel partner of X-Men: Days of Future Past, the train has been fully wrapped as part of a unique collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation to celebrate the 22nd May cinema release of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
After the train was officially named by two of the film’s most iconic characters, Professor Xavier and Wolverine, guests boarded the train for its inaugural journey from London Euston to Birmingham International, enjoying Virgin Trains First Class service all the way. The newly refurbished train, which took 160 hours to wrap in 549m2 of film, will showcase its X-Men livery to passengers up and down the country until July.
The latest film in the X-Men franchise, released on 22nd May, sees the return of Director Bryan Singer, who bridges the gap between the old and new franchises, with all the cast from the first three movies returning to join their younger version from X-Men: First Class. A central theme of the movie is time travel as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back in time in an attempt to change the course of history for the sake of all mutant-kind.
Phil Whittingham, Lead Executive at Virgin Trains said: “Virgin Trains are delighted to be a part of such a thrilling partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Today marks an exciting day for Virgin Trains as we officially unveil this spectacular X-Men train which is going to be travelling up and down the country for the next four months! We are extremely lucky to be joined by two of the film’s most popular characters, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and James McAvoy as Professor X, to help bring the partnership to life and name the train ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’.”
Adrian Varma, Partnerships and Regions Manager at Virgin Trains said: “For us it’s all about our relationship with speed and we feel that this latest instalment in the X-Men franchise ties in perfectly with Virgin Trains relationship with travel. We strive to make sure our customers’ journeys are as quick as possible, as if they are time travel devices. We can’t wait for the train’s first official outing up to Birmingham International today.”
Chris Green, Theatrical Marketing Director from Twentieth Century Fox said: “We are thrilled to be a part of this special event and the X-Men: Days of Future Past train looks incredible. Having both Hugh and James here as two of the films key characters has added even more to the excitement and buzz! Virgin Trains has helped to bring the film to life and will give customers and fans a glimpse into what they can expect come 22nd May when X-Men: Days of Future Past is released.”
X-Men: Days of Future Past hits cinemas on May 22nd 2014.
