Though Bryan Singer’s Apocalypse ostensibly wrapped up the cinematic Mutant franchise – for now, at least – 20th Century Fox is keen to foster its X-Men franchise beyond film, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing today that the studio is finally starting to make some tangible headway on that long-rumored TV series.
Collaborating with Matt Nix and Marvel, Fox has reportedly issued a put-pilot commitment to the untitled action-adventure show. Without getting too into detail, put-pilot refers to a pilot order that the network has agreed to air as either a special or series and, generally speaking, guarantees that said network (Fox, in this case) will air the pilot episode.
Details remain few and far between at such an early stage, though we do understand Nix will spearhead the project as writer and executive producer, with the latter being a role he’ll share with Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, not to mention Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory of Marvel.
“Developing a Marvel property has been a top priority for the network – and we are so pleased with how Matt Nix has led us into this thrilling universe,” Fox Entertainment president David Madden said. “There’s comic book adventure, emotional and complicated relationships and a rich, existing mythology from which to draw. With the brilliant production crew behind this project, it has all the makings of a big, fun and exciting new series.”
“Working with Marvel on a television series for Fox has been a professional dream for our head of development, Michael Thorn, and all of us at the studio,” said Jonathan Davis, president of creative affairs at 20th. “Matt, Lauren, Bryan, Simon, Jeph and Jim are a powerhouse team of creative artists, and we can’t wait to get started on what will easily be one of this development season’s most exciting new projects.”
For Fox, which is currently presiding over superhero affair that includes Gotham and Lucifer, an X-Men TV series could represent a major coup for the network. It’ll also strengthen Marvel’s genre lineup on the small-screen, particularly now that Agent Carter‘s immediate future is up in the air. There’s also the studio’s collaboration with FX and Noah Hawley for the Legion offshoot.
Assuming that this deal falls into place, tell us, what are your hopes for an X-Men TV series?