Back in October of last year, we shared a rumor that FOX was looking to bring the X-Men to television. Now after months of speculation, word is that the network is in fact working to bring them to the small screen, pending the approval of Marvel Entertainment. It’s still in the very early stages of development as a live-action X-Men TV series and Fox entertainment chairmen Gary Newman said the series wouldn’t be ready to air before the 2016-2017 TV season.
Here’s what else Newman said about the status of the negotiations:
We’re cautiously optimistic; we had a good meeting with them. That will not be on a fast track creatively. This is just the deal, now we have to find the creative.
The creative possibly being preliminary conversations with “24” producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto to develop the live-action series. Screenwriters Patrick McKay and JD Payne will script the pilot episode with Katz and Coto set to serve as showrunners. We still don’t know what the series will look like or which characters will appear; so let the speculation begin!
With 20th Century Fox having the film rights to the material, that’s where the OK from Marvel comes in. If it’s a win-win for all those involved, it’s really just a matter of time and more importantly that ‘creative” they talked about. Newman is optimistic, so that’s a good sign. Gotham is still doing really well for the network so it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to the other side of the table to get more dramas with a built-in fan base to tune in.