FX's "Legion" (Season 3 Premieres June 24)

[Walts Ghost]

Fox Are In Deep Development On A Live-Action X-Men TV Show

Bleeding Cool’s Hollywood sources (which also brought you the news that Warners were shipping round a Supergirl series – though we did get the producer wrong) have just landed us a massive trout, flapping around on the Bleeding Cool deck.

That Fox are currently in deep development on a live-action X-Men TV show. And are starting to get interest in that as well. Which is how it leaked to us.

No details whatsoever. And right now, no way of getting any. Hopefully, as a result of this article, someone like Deadline will do the heavy lifting.

Or maybe someone will mention it at NYCC? We’ll keep our ears open.

And looks like soon it may be time to add X-Men to The Strain, The Walking Dead, Daredevil, Flash, Arrow, Constantine, Gotham, Powers, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, The Defenders, Agents Of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Supergirl and all the other comic book-based TV shows coming down the pipe.

Over a decade ago, Marvel created the show Mutant X, but legal pressure from Fox saw them have to distance the show from the X-Men as much as possible. Won’t be a problem this time… could I suggest that the New X-Men series by Grant Morrison might make for interesting source material?

Bleeding Cool

[doctorD]

Wow, I've got to believe this will be with lesser known mutants if this does go through.

[kemcha]

I don't see this series as being that impressive. While it would be nice to see it developed like the original Uncanny X-Men were during the 80's, I just see this falling flat like Mutant X and Alphas did.

There are some storyarcs that I remember fondly:

The Brood Saga (Uncanny X-Men 254-266)
The Mutant Massacre
Fall of the Mutants

Unless the series went back to basics and featured characters like Cyclops, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Iceman, Colossus, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine ... KI just don;t see too many people tuning into this.

[lazystoner]

According to some tweets from eatgeekplay's Shawn Madden, the plan is for the series to be based on Peter David's X-Factor run, and he adds that, "The X-Factor series will definitely feature Jamie Madrox and be sort of like 'Fringe in the X-Men world.'"

Pretty much sounds like X-Factor Investigations.

[Pizzamorg]

Eh, I know everyone likes Arrow and stuff but I still don't think this kind of stuff can be done on TV budgets with today's technology.

[GoldMotel]

Unless they have a bigish budget, I can't see how the show is going to do well sfx-wise. Even Agents of SHIELD has a pretty big budget for a network show and some of the effects are...wonky to say the least. Mutants with crazy powers...yikes.

I wish it was an animated show, but I'll probably still check it out, since I'm assuming Fox wants to tie it into their x-men verse.

[Walts Ghost]

'X-Men' Live-Action Series in the Works at Fox

An X-Men TV series could be coming to Fox.

With '24's' Many Coto and Evan Katz overseeing, and 'Star Trek 3's' Patrick McKay and JD Payne writing.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the network is having preliminary conversations to adapt the iconic Marvel comic series — and feature film franchise — as a live-action television series with 24 producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto involved.

Fox's potential live-action series is being penned by Star Trek 3 writing duo Patrick McKay and JD Payne, sources tell THR, who will share a created by credit on the project with Katz and Coto. Katz and Coto will serve as showrunners.

Fox declined comment on Katz, Coto, McKay and Payne's involvement.

Fox studio counterpart 20th Century Fox owns the rights to the film franchise (with seven features already released based on X-Men characters). While conversations to bring the franchise to the small screen are under way, sources indicate a deal is far from complete with Marvel — which owns the comic rights — still having to sign off on the deal. The comic book powerhouse is based at Disney, with ABC shows including Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter on the network and five upcoming straight-to-series programs in the works there. Marvel would have to sign off on the deal.

TV Insider first reported theX-Men news.

The potential X-Men series comes as Fox, under television group chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman, noted that the network has also had conversations to revive The X-Files with Chris Carter as well as a limited run of Prison Break.

The network currently does not have plans for another run of 24 as a limited series, but has heard a pitch for a potential revival in 2016 — with our without star Kiefer Sutherland.

THR

[Samus Aran]

Billy Warlock as Wolverine. He's already short, dark, has a gruff voice and ageless (he was on Happy Days!!!!).

[R3P0]

If they do this they should to it without the main X-Men, Use Jubilee, Xi'an Coy, Gaveedra Seven, Nathan Summers, Samuel Guthrie, Max Eisenhart, I think they could build a good team and bring the movie ppl in for cameos on really BIG missions.

[Clark Kent]

I suspect it would only tangentially be related to what mainstream audiences know as the X-Men. This is probably Fox's attempt to spin their latest sci-fi action procedural with the X-Men brand. I don't think you'll be seeing Beast or Jean Grey in it.

Think more along the lines of Emma Frost managing a group of young mutants or something similar.

[ly000001]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I suspect it would only tangentially be related to what mainstream audiences know as the X-Men. This is probably Fox's attempt to spin their latest sci-fi action procedural with the X-Men brand. I don't think you'll be seeing Beast or Jean Grey in it.

Think more along the lines of Emma Frost managing a group of young mutants or something similar.

Like the Generation X TV movie that Fox did in the mid 90's

[ChiefSequatchie]

Why not do it the way DC Comics/Warner Bros. are doing it more or less.

Have all the familiar characters and just different actors in the roles and make it two separate entities .

[GoldMotel]

Since it's live action, I wonder if Fox will connect it with the film universe, as a way to use more characters that aren't as well known/can't support a solo film.

[doctorD]

Fox Near Deal for 'X-Men' Live-Action Series

Fox is inching closer to a live-action X-Men series.

"[For] X-Men, we're in negotiations with Marvel. We're hopeful we'll be able to announce something soon. We're not closed on a deal yet but it's something we're definitely pursuing," Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden told THR on Thursday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour stop.

As THR previously reported, Fox's potential live-action series is being penned by Star Trek 3 writing duo Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne; they will share a "created by" credit with 24's Evan Katz and Manny Coto, who also will serve as showrunners.

Fox studio counterpart 20th Century Fox owns the rights to the film franchise (with seven features already released based on X-Men characters and Gambit with Channing Tatum in the pipeline). While conversations to bring the franchise to the small screen are underway, sources indicate a deal is far from complete, with Marvel — which owns the comic rights — still having to sign off on the deal. The comic book powerhouse is based at Disney, with ABC shows including Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter on the network and five upcoming straight-to-series programs in the works there. Marvel would have to sign off on the deal.

"The characters from the X-Men franchise are with Fox on the feature side so we won't be including Marvel characters that are at ABC with Disney," Walden said of how the deal with Marvel will be structured. "This will be exclusively the franchise as it has existed at Fox."

The goal, she said, was for X-Men to be a "long-running" series — not a limited revival a la 24: Live Another Day and the Prison Break revival, which Walden and Fox TV Group chairman and CEO Gary Newman announced early Thursday.

THR

[Groge511]

If i were Marvel I wouldnt bother asking for the FF rights back in exchange for letting Fox make a TV show because after making such an awful film i think they would just expect them back!
There is no way a FF sequel will happen but i really hope this does. I love the X-verse

[redrunner97]

Oh absolutely. I would definitely be down for that trade!

[AlwaysRelaxing24]

There are enough mutants in the X-Men Universe to have a television show and a few movies per year.

Outside of Batman, it is probably the best line-up of great characters.

[DisneyBlu]

From ScreenRant:

Rob Keyes ‏@rob_keyes
Fox and Marvel have TEAMED UP for 2 TV projects... it's happeningggg... details shortly!

Since Marvel gave them the go ahead, it's possible there was a deal made over the Fantastic Four rights. Maybe, maybe not, it remains to be seen. But with Marvel teaming up with Fox for two shows, that could be a good sign.

From Deadline:

In a two-project kinbergagreement between Marvel and Fox Networks Group, FX and Fox are moving ahead with two TV dramas set in the world of X-Men, both executive produced by the film franchise’s director, Bryan Singer, producer Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg as well as Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory. FX has given a pilot order to Legion, written/executive produced by Fargo creator Noah Hawley, while Fox has closed deals to develop the long-rumored Hellfire (working title), created by Evan Katz (24: Live Another Day), Manny Coto (24), Patrick McKay (Star Trek 3) and JD Payne (Star Trek 3).

Neither series has the X-Men branding though both are set in the same universe and both stem from 20th Century Fox’s Marvel deal for the rights to the X-Men franchise, which has spawned 11 movies, including several that are in the pipeline. The deals expand Marvel’s live-action TV footprint, adding to the company’s two existing series and a pilot at ABC and four series and a limited series at Netflix.

Legion 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 will write the pilot and serve as an executive producer with Shuler Donner, Singer, Kinberg, Loeb, Chory and John Cameron (Fargo). The pilot for Legion will be produced by FX Productions and Marvel Television, with FXP handling the physical production.

“Legion is just the sort of ambitious story that Noah excels at,” FX’s Nick Grad said. “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.”

Set in the late 1960s, Hellfire, produced by 20th Century Fox TV and Marvel Television, with 20th Century Fox handling the physical production – 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.

“We are thrilled to partner with Marvel to bring this world to television and build upon the Fox Logovibrant mythology that has captivated fans for years,” said Fox Entertainment president David Madden. “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. ”

McKay and Payne will write the pilot script, based on a story by Katz, Coto, McKay and Payne. Shuler Donner, Singer and Kinberg executive produce with Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory will executive-produce the pilot, alongside Katz and Coto, who will serve as showrunners.

http://deadline.com/2015/10/x-men-ma...ox-1201582209/

[Drookur]

Was this the "mystery tv trailer" Quesada was promising? If so, unimpressed.

[doctorD]

Another Promo:

LEGION Season 1 Promo "Switch" (HD) FX Series - YouTube