Marvel & Fox Team Up For X-MEN Spin-Off TV Shows LEGION & HELLFIRE
Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox have partnered up to bring us two TV projects, one will focus on Professor X’s son David Haller, while the other will feature the villains of the Hellfire Club...
Marvel and Fox TV Networks, FX and Fox are moving ahead with two TV dramas set in the world of the X-Men. FX will tackle the unstable Legion, while over on Fox TV we'll have the shady dealings of the sinister Hellfire Club in Hellfire. Both shows will be exec produced by Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg, as well as Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory. There's a LOT more talent involved too, as you'll see from the official press releases below, which also provide some story details.
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. Noah Hawley (Fargo, Bones) is writing an serves as Executive Producer, along with Lauren Shuler Donner (X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Wolverine), Bryan Singer (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Superman Returns), Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Martain), Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s Daredevil), Jim Chory (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s Daredevil) and John Cameron (Fargo, The Big Lebowski). “Legion is just the sort of ambitious story that Noah excels at,” said Nick Grad, Co-President Original Programming, FX Networks and FX Productions. “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.”
Hellfire will be set in the late 1960s. The series -- which will be produced by 20th Century Fox Television 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 vibrant mythology that has captivated fans for years,” said David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. . “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. We are so looking forward to working with this incredibly talented team.” Hellfire is a co-production of 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television, co-created by Evan Katz, Manny Coto, Patrick McKay, and JD Payne.
The beginning of a beautiful friendship? Obviously this isn't anything like a big movie crossover, but hey, it's a start! As for these projects, they're certainly not focusing on the most popular characters - but there's still plenty of potential for some great TV there. What do you guys think?