They wanted to cheat on Halle Berry.

When Bryan Singer left “X-Men: The Last Stand” to direct “Superman: Returns” for DC and Warner Bros., Matthew Vaughn was given the thankless task of taking over a project that had already begun with high expectations and numerous problems. However, the biggest challenge was not only the large number of characters, but also disagreements over how certain heroes would be presented.

One of the main disputes involved Halle Berry and her character Storm. The actress was unhappy with the way the weather-controlling mutant was portrayed in the first two films. Although Storm was one of the most important heroes in the Marvel comics, Berry felt that she was not given enough space or opportunities to show her personality in the film version. She was not only asking for more minutes in front of the camera, but also for a more substantial role.

“If I'm going to be on screen for ten minutes, can I say something important in those ten minutes instead of just, 'Where's the plane?'” she explained.

According to Matthew Vaughn, Fox promised Barry more space for Storm during negotiations, but had no intention of fulfilling those promises. The director later said that he had seen a version of the script in which Storm went to Africa, where she used her powers to save children from famine. When he asked why the scene was not part of the main script, he was reportedly told that it would be removed after Barry signed the contract.

Vaughn therefore gave up on directing, believing that if the studio could act in this way towards the Oscars, there was no guarantee that they would respect his vision for the film.

Years later, after Vaughn publicly told this story, Berry took to Instagram to say that she didn't know what was going on behind the scenes.

"You never know what shady things are going on behind your back. Thank you, Matthew Vaughn, for bringing the truth to light," she wrote.