Jennifer Lawrence Leaving Franchise After "X-Men: Apocalypse"

Despite all the great news Fox has had about it's X-Men: Apocalypse casting in the past couple months, the franchise is taking a serious blow. Superstar, Jennifer Lawrence has confirmed she will be leaving the series after 2016's trilogy finale. Fox hit the jackpot, bringing her on as the shapeshifting Mystique for X-Men: First Class just before she hit super-stardom in The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook, but now the actress is moving on.

Apocalypse is the third installment in the young X-Men storyline. Lead by Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Nicholas Hoult, it will act as a transitional piece as Fox ramps up the franchise to compete with Marvel's Avenger's universe. With a planned Deadpool, Gambit, and another Wolverine spin-off all in the works, Fox is hoping to make an X-Men extended universe that can hold it's own against the Marvel and DC behemoths.

Lawrence's exit is probably best for both parties, allowing the Oscar-winner to pursue different fare, while simultaneously allowing Fox to explore other characters in the X-Men catalogue. Let's just hope the X-Men franchise can survive without her strength in the box office.