Marvel Studios regained the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. Now, the plan is for Marvel's First Family to debut in 2025, but despite the emergence of mutants such as Ms. Marvel and Namor the Submariner, there's still no sign of Professor X's team.
During a recent interview with Deadline, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore was asked whether any filmmakers have been lined up to helm an X-Men reboot. To that, he responded, "No, we're early, early, early days, yeah."
We'd have been shocked to see Moore turn around and start dropping the names of directors Marvel Studios might be eyeing to help them put a fresh spin on the X-Men, so that non-response isn't a surprise. However, it does suggest there are no imminent plans to move forward with a new movie, likely meaning the team won't be part of the Multiverse Saga.
Bring on the Mutant Saga, eh?
In the same interview, Moore was asked if there are any specific Black superhero movies he hopes to tell in the MCU. "There’s no secret the X-Men are coming home, and boy, if you talk about Storm and Bishop, they’re two of the great characters in that franchise, that I certainly could pitch you ideas all day of."
There's nothing to say those characters will be part of Marvel Studios' plans, but given Moore's role in telling stories in this world, we're sure he'll be pushing for them both to take centre stage. A new, comic-accurate take on Storm is overdue, while Lucas Bishop definitely deserves better than his minor role in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Patience is clearly going to be key when it comes to seeing the X-Men in the MCU, and while we joked about a "Mutant Saga," these heroes might just end up being the focal point of Phases 7, 8, and 9.
What are your hopes for the X-Men on screen moving forward?