Earlier this year we heard rumblings that Fox was actively working towards bringing the X-MEN franchise to the small screen, pending the approval of Marvel. Now it has been announced that Fox and Marvel have joined forces for not one, but two, television series based upon the X-MEN universe. Legion and Hellfire will both be executive produced by Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, and Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory.
Legion will introduce us to David Haller, who has struggled with mental illness ever since he was a teenager. "Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real." The character is based upon the Marvel Comics character Legion, who is the son of Professor Charles Xavier, but whether the show will play on those familial ties is uncertain. Legion will make its home at FX, who has given it a pilot order, and will be written and executive produced by Fargo creator Noah Hawley.
FX's Nick Grad:
Legion is just the sort of ambitious story that Noah excels at, his adaption of Fargo for television was one of the most acclaimed television events in recent memory. It’s also an honor to partner with Marvel on Legion and to enlist such an accomplished team of Executive Producers to create this pilot.
Hellfire will be set in the 1960's and follow "a young Special Agent who learns that a power-hungry woman with extraordinary abilities is working with a clandestine society of millionaires – known as “The Hellfire Club” – to take over the world." You'll recall that we've already seen a glimpse of The Hellfire Club in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. Hellfire has been created by Evan Katz, Manny Coto, Patrick McKay, and JD Payne, with the latter pair writing the pilot script. While Legion has already scored a pilot order, Hellfire is still in the development phase but it should air on Fox if all goes well.
Fox Entertainment president David Madden:
We are thrilled to partner with Marvel to bring this world to television and build upon the vibrant mythology that has captivated fans for years, these powerful and dynamic characters are complicated and larger-than-life, the pace and visual imagination are unrelenting, and the story takes place during one of the most explosive eras in recent history.
X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, the next big-screen adventure in the X-MEN franchise, will hit theaters on May 27, 2016.
Do either of these shows interest you?
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