Marvel Studios' X-Men movie is officially in development; writer attached

Marvel fans have been waiting a long time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to bring the X-Men back to the silver screen. There have been teases, there have been nods, and there have been references, but now it seems like the wheels are finally set in motion.

As revealed by Deadline, who set the internet and social media ablaze by bringing forth the exciting news, that long-awaited X-Men reboot if officially in development. The confirmation has come through the report that the film has landed a writer in Michael Lesslie, who recently wrote the script for The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It's an exciting update, as it means things are finally starting to happen for the MCU's adaptation of Marvel's Mightiest Mutants.

The X-Men are finally on their way to the MCU

With the X-Men movie officially in development, attention is turning to the director as a search for someone to helm the project and bring the fan-favorite mutants to the MCU sandbox has begun. Who Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige ultimately goes with remains to be seen, but it will no doubt be the right choice as the franchise is investing a lot of time in building up to the X-Men's arrival. 

The trade also noted that it will still take some time for all the pieces to emerge and connect, as there has yet to be a script written, nobody has been cast yet, and a release date for the project has not yet been set. However, the consensus seems that fans are more than willing to wait and not have Marvel rush this reboot. The most recent example of telling the X-Men's story well from Marvel Studios was the hugely successful animated series X-Men '97, which brought these heroes back to their core with newfound exploration and a sense of respect. 

Nonetheless, the next time Mutants drop into the MCU sandbox will be this summer in Deadpool and Wolverine. Prior to the latest Marvel theatrical film, little breadcrumbs have appeared throughout the Mulitverse Saga, from Professor X wearing his X-Men: The Animated Series attire in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (with Patrick Stewart reprising his role from the X-Men movies), to that incredible post-credits scene from The Marvels. And let's not forget that scene from Ms. Marvel when it was revealed that Kamala Khan had the X-gene to the faint but familiar theme tune of the original 1992 animated series. 

In addition to all of this, one can only hope that once the Mutants arrive, the locomotive train helmed by Feige and his team will be able to sustain the momentum. But it certainly sounds like people are ready for the X-Men.

Just recently, tickets for Deadpool and Wolverine went on sale, and to nobody's surprise, Fandango announced that the Marvel Studios movie broke the 2024 record for best first-day ticket sales, which is insane to think about as the film is slated to come out later this summer on July 26. 

Now, with the ticket sales exceeding expectations, breaking the proverbial ceiling for anticipation and hype, it seems that Marvel is starting to find a groove once again and align creative control with quality over the quantity from days of recent past. 

Deadpool and Wolverine lands in theaters on July 26.