There had been rumours that X-Men: The Animated Series might return in some form, but when the news about X-Men '97 broke, fans were ecstatic. Marvel Studios is producing the revival for Disney+, and we now have new details courtesy of original producers Eric and Julia Lewald.
They will act as consulting producers on the show, and have now confirmed that it will serve as an "extension" of the original series. "There is great love and affection and respect from an entire group of people that are doing this show, starting at the top with Beau DeMayo, who's the showrunner," Eric said.
"I believe they're looking at 10 episodes for the first season that's going to come out mid-next year," he continued. "They're starting it soon after ours ended....'Where is [Professor X?]'" As you may recall, Empress Lilandra of the Shi'ar Empire took a mortally wounded Charles Xavier into space to be cured, and X-Men '97 is set to pick up from there and "build off of that."
As for their role in the series, the original creative team explained, "We said, 'It's your show. We're here if there's a red flag,' but we're on for that, or maybe some ideas of things we'd like to see. But really, it's their show. You can tell by the design. It's the same but slightly modernized, slightly a bit more beautiful, five times the money spent on it. Not that we're bitter [Laughs]."
It sounds like we're in store for something special with this continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, and it's an interesting way for Marvel Studios to reintroduce the characters to audiences. Washing away the bad taste left by Dark Phoenix and New Mutants by bringing back this show feels like a smart move, and fans are already wondering whether it will somehow tie into the wider MCU.
Check out the full interview with Eric and Julia Lewald below:
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