Marvel's X-Men Reboot: Less 'Old Guard,' More 'Next Generation' - But Will It Work?
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Marvel's rebooting the X-Men with a younger cast and focus, aiming for a fresh take, but whether it avoids past pitfalls remains to be seen – and it sounds like we'll be waiting a while to see it happen.
Right, so Marvel's having another crack at the X-Men. This time, though, they're leaning *hard* into the "youth" angle. According to IGN South Africa, Kevin Feige himself reckons this reboot – slated for, like, 2028-ish, after *Avengers: Secret Wars* – is gonna be all about that younger demographic. Fair dinkum? Well, let's see.
Now, they've got Michael Lesslie (of *Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes* fame – long title, I know) penning the script, and Jake Schreier (*Thunderbolts*) is directing. Feige seems pretty chuffed with Schreier's ability to wrangle younger characters, citing his work on *Thunderbolts*. (Did anyone actually *see* Thunderbolts? Asking for a friend...). Schreier himself told ThePlaylist that this new X-Men flick will be “recognizably different” from the Fox films. Which, let's be honest, is a pretty low bar after *Dark Phoenix*, eh?
He goes on to say he's keen to explore the "ideas inherent to that rich source material". That sounds promising, but, you know, *words*. We need to see some action. The Fox films tried a younger reboot themselves with *First Class*, with varying degrees of success. Can Marvel avoid the same pitfalls? (Or create new and exciting ones?).
Now, here’s the interesting bit: the article suggests *Avengers: Secret Wars* might be a bit of a "reset" button for the MCU, allowing for fresh versions of classic characters. Could this mean a sneaky X-Men intro *before* 2028? Maybe. (Multiverse shenanigans, anyone?). We already know that many original actors will reappear during the doomsday event, so we might have some time to wait and see.
Schreier concludes to Nerdist, “Obviously [X-Men] is an ensemble film and, inherently whatever it ends up being, is going to deal with complicated characters, I just really love what I do and especially these days, it’s not to be taken for granted to get the opportunity to do it. And to get to work on things at a scale that really still challenges you.”
So, what does this all *mean*, mate? Is this new youth-focused X-Men gonna be a fresh take, or just another teen drama with superpowers? Will it tap into the themes of prejudice and acceptance that made the comics so impactful, or will it just be another CGI-fest? And, most importantly, will they *finally* get Cyclops right? I remain cautiously optimistic, but my inner digital wizard senses some potential for either brilliance or a right old mess. Time will tell. (And by “time,” I mean “several years from now”).
Based on reporting by Tom Phillips at IGN South Africa.
Tags: Marvel, X-Men, Reboot, MCU, Superheroes
Original article: IGN South Africa