Having found success with the likes of Gotham and Lucifer on the DC side, US TV network Fox is now giving the Marvel universe a spin, or at least the chunk its parent company has the rights to: the X-Men. Bryan Singer and Burn Notice creator Matt Nix are among the producers attached to a new, untitled series that will automatically hit the pilot stage.
The concept for this one sounds a little like a blend of Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special and the mutant stories in that it follows two ordinary parents who discover their child has mutant abilities. With a hostile government on their trail, they'll need the help of an underground mutant coalition and will have to fight to survive.
Nix, who has experience working on TV series (he also worked on shows such as The Comedians and The Good Guys), will be the executive producer and is overseeing the pilot. Also involved are a stew of producers from both the Fox and Marvel comic book teams, including Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg and Jeph Loeb.
“Developing a Marvel property has been a top priority for the network — and we are so pleased with how Matt Nix has led us into this thrilling universe,” says Fox Broadcasting entertainment president David Madden. “There’s comic book adventure, emotional and complicated relationships and a rich, existing mythology from which to draw. With the brilliant production crew behind this project, it has all the makings of a big, fun and exciting new series.”
This is just the latest X-Men-related series to start the long march to screens. There's also Legion and Hellfire, which appears to be stalled.