With a new deal between the WGA and the AMPTP in place, writers may once again pick up their pens for upcoming projects. And that also means studios may start meeting with writers again for open assignments in the pipeline. Deadline reports that’s what Marvel Studios is up to for one of their more anticipated future release: the introduction of “X-Men” into the MCU.
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The outlet says that Marvel plans to start meeting with writers later this Fall about pitches for its first “X-Men” film. And while that movie isn’t on Marvel’s calendar yet, the studio would like to have a decision made by the time 2024 begins. Marvel didn’t comment on their plans to Deadline, but it sounds like the gears of the MCU machine have begun to hum and turn again post-guild strike.
Don’t expect Marvel Studios to be in a rush to select writers on that project, though. Development may have started on “X-Men,” but many upcoming films/shows from Phases 5 & 6 are coming first. Add in the MCU’s myriad schedule changes to the mix, which has future releases debuting more gradually, and this rendition of “X-Men” may not reach audiences for a few years at least.
Still, this story should get both MCU and “X-Men” fans excited. Superhero fans have anticipated word on what Marvel Studios would do with the mutants since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox and its entire library in 2019. Before the MCU, Fox‘s “X-Men” films were the most bankable Marvel IP onscreen, with ten films in all: seven “X-Men” films and three more spinoffs for Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine. But after “Dark Phoenix” did so poorly with critics and audiences in 2019, it’s clear that the X-Men need a makeover. And that begins with Jackman’s Wolverine (and Ryan Reynold‘s Deadpool) making their MCU debuts in “Deadpool 3,” currently schedule for May 3, 2024.
And that’s not the only tease for the X-Men that Marvel has done recently. The recent “Ms. Marvel” series had a character tease the X-Men’s introduction into the MCU when they dropped the word “mutant” in a post-credits scene. And Marvel also debuts “X-Men ’97,” a throwback to the beloved animated series, on Disney+ early next year. Expect more MCU fare to have easter eggs and hints here and there about the X-Men’s future as the release of “Deadpool 3” approaches.
However, “Deadpool 3” and other upcoming MCU projects are still at the mercy of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which still hasn’t been resolved. The guild resumes talks with the AMPTP next Monday, but that’s no guarantee an end is in sight there. While writers may be starting work and finding work now that the WGA strike is over, production on upcoming projects remains at a standstill. And even if SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP agree to terms soon, there will be more inevitable delays and schedule changes from the previous 77 days of work stoppage.
But if this story is true, then Marvel’s plans for “X-Men” will come into focus soon, and that’s exciting for superhero movie fans.
