Marvel Studios is making moves on its long-awaited X-Men movie, and it looks like Thunderbolts” director Jake Schreier is at the top of their list to helm it.
According to multiple sources, Schreier is in early talks to direct the project, though nothing has been finalized yet. Still, his stock has skyrocketed in Hollywood following Thunderbolts*, which earned some of the strongest reviews Marvel has seen in years.
Even though Thunderbolts* opened to a modest $76 million at the domestic box office, its critical reception has shifted internal confidence at Marvel. The studio is betting on legs, and they see Schreier’s tonal balance of offbeat but emotionally grounded, as exactly what the MCU’s next era needs.
The new X-Men film which is being written by Michael Lesslie, who recently wrote The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Kevin Feige is producing, but don’t expect plot details or casting news just yet. The project is still early in development, and Marvel is keeping things tightly under wraps.
Before jumping into the Marvel sandbox, Schreier directed the indie sci-fi gem Robot & Frank, the YA adaptation Paper Towns, and episodes of Netflix’s Beef and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
His body of work points to a filmmaker who can balance character-driven drama with genre flair, which perfect for the complexities of an X-Men ensemble.
Disney’s been easing into mutant territory over the past couple of years with last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine, the Ms. Marvel series, and The Marvels. But, this will be the first proper X-Men feature film since Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019.
Even Disney CEO Bob Iger chimed in recently, singling out Thunderbolts* as a course correction for Marvel’s recent stumbles.
“We’ve learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. And frankly, we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much. By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality. I think the first and best example is Thunderbolts.”
There’s no release date yet, no cast, no title, but I loved what Schreier did with Thunderbolts* and I’d be happy to see him jump on board to direct X-Men.
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