For years, all Marvel fans have wanted to see is the X-Men join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That time is almost upon us, as the franchise's Multiverse Saga has opened the door for the Mighty Mutants to make their debut in the MCU, with a movie and some rumored spinoffs potentially on the horizon. Oh yes, it's really quite an exciting time to be an X-Men fan!
The MCU began referencing mutants earlier on in the Multiverse Saga, but the very existence of the multiverse itself allowed for it to pull in previous versions of these iconic characters to bridge the gap until the franchise's own versions made their debut. With that, we have seen the return of Patrick Stewart's Professor Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for a cameo appearance and the game-changing debut of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine, officially welcoming the lore of Fox's X-Men into the franchise. And now Stewart will return, along with multiple X-Men stars in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
But the X-Men will lead their own movie in the MCU and it just got a whole lot realer.
Thunderbolts* director in talks to bring the X-Men to the MCU
Who better to bring Marvel Comics' rat-tag group of beloved outsider heroes to the MCU than the man who did the same for the movie series' rag-tag group of outsider antiheroes? Deadline has revealed that Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is in early talks to direct Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men movie. Although the outlet revealed that sources aren't sure where things currently stand in the dealmaking process, Schreier is reportedly the studio's "top choice" to helm the project,
It's not surprising as Thunderbolts* has quickly become one of the best-reviewed Marvel projects ever, with many praising it for its thoughtful approach to mental health, fun character dynamics, and commitment to practical effects over CGI. These are all elements that would be vital to making an X-Men movie, and with audiences highlighting how Thunderbolts* has reinvigorated the MCU, Schreier is a strong choice to bring Marvel's Mightiest Mutants to it.
The X-Men movie has been officially in development for a year now (although the wheels were set in motion well before that). Michael Lesslie has been tasked with writing the script while Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige will be executive producing. It's set to be a major moment for the MCU franchise as the X-Men feel like the one beloved facet of the Marvel Comics lore that has evaded the film series for so long. That was due to the fact that Fox owned the movie rights to the characters, and they managed to turn them into movie stars of their own, with the classic X-Men film series running parallel to the MCU during the late 2000s and 2010s.
The return of actors Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Kesley Grammer in those respective roles in MCU projects (as well as the returns of James Marsden's Cyclops, Ian McKellen's Magneto, Rebecca Romijin's Mystique, and Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday) has set the stage for the team's full-time introduction while also serving as a send-off to those respective versions (Jackman's Wolverine aside).
The X-Men movie is set to feature a new cast portraying the iconic roles. Another report claims that Wolverine won't be involved in the first X-Men movie as Marvel has plans for the veteran X-Men star in other projects for now (possibly alongside Deadpool). But this is just another sign that the studio is investing heavily in the X-Men franchise going forward.
Kevin Fiege has deemed the next chapter of the MCU after the Multiverse Saga as "The Mutants Era". Whether that means the next three phases of the franchise will be known as The Mutants Saga remains to be seen, but it's clear that the X-Men are the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with Schreier behind the camera of their first adventure, they are destined for success.