The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s X-Men reboot is charting a bold new course, according to the upcoming film’s writer.
The X-Men have a long cinematic history, tracing back to their eponymous 2000 movie, which is often credited as jump-starting the pre-MCU superhero craze. Starring iconic actors such as Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart, the franchise has spanned the last two decades, continuing even into the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday through multiversal hijinks.
As a result of this legacy, rebooting the X-Men is a tall order for any filmmaker. Marvel Studios has recruited Jake Schreier to direct, along with Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo to pen the script, all of whom worked on Thunderbolts*.
Recently, Lee discussed his involvement with X-Men, explaining that while he “wasn’t planning on doing another Marvel thing,” however “Jake is one of [his] best friends, and when he comes calling with X-Men…come on, you drop everything for that” (via Men’s Health). He continued by sharing his appreciation of Marvel, adding that he “grew up waking up every Saturday morning” to turn on the cartoon and “watched every single episode.”
“When they came back with X-Men 97, I devoured that,” he continued. “The original Claremont run of the comics is near and dear to my heart.” Lee added that he is most “excited” to work on the reboot because Schreier “wants to get back to focusing on the characters first.”
“These are amazing characters with very rich backstories full of so much emotion,” said Lee. “There are so many intra-team dynamics and relationships. There’s soapy stuff. And sure, there are political themes baked into the DNA of X-Men too, and those are evergreen, but we want to get back to character-first storytelling.” Because Schreier, Lee, and Calo are focusing on getting the script right, he says they have “been in the lab everyday” to write.
According to Lee, these marathon writing sessions include Marvel executives Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito, the former of whom got his start as a producer on 2000’s X-Men. “We’re in the trenches together, and it’s invigorating,” Lee concluded. “We all love these characters. I’m excited, and I think true fans will be excited too. I don’t take it for granted. This is the privilege of a lifetime. It’s the coolest IP out there, in my opinion.”
Marvel’s X-Men is reportedly set to hit theaters in May of 2028.
TV Show(s)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Marvel’s Echo, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
First Film
Iron Man
First TV Show
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Cast
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
Created by
Kevin Feige
Upcoming Films
Blade, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.