X-Men Marvel TV Series Confirmed - LEGION and HELLFIRE
Marvel and Fox have come to an agreement which will allow them to develop two TV dramas set in the X-Men Universe. This is a joint effort in which Fox producers Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Simon Kinberg will join forces with Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory to bring these series to life.
One series is called Legion and has been given a pilot order at FX. It will be written and produced by Fargo creator Noah Hawley. The second series is called Hellfire and is being developed by Evan Katz (24: Live Another Day), Manny Coto (24), Patrick McKay (Star Trek 3), and JD Payne (Star Trek 3).
When it comes to Legion, the series "introduces the story of David Haller: Since he was a teenager, David has struggled with mental illness. 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."
Hawley is a great choice to take on this project. I love what he did with Fargo, and I have faith that he'll bring fans an awesome series. Regarding the project, FX’s Nick Grad said:
“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.”
As for Hellfire, it will be set in the late 1960s, and it "follows 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."
I'm actually really surprised that Marvel made the deal with Fox because I've heard that there has been bad blood between the two. But Fox Entertainment president David Madden had this to say about partnering up with Marvel:
“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. ”
I'm very curious to see how these projects turn out. There's been talk of a live-action X-Men series happening for awhile, and now we've got two of them to look forward to! Fox and Marvel have got a solid team of talented people working on bringing these shows to life, so there is a solid chance that they'll turn out well.