Marvel Studios is officially moving forward with an X-Men film, and the company is looking to recruit one of the hottest directors in town to usher in the mutant era of the MCU. The chosen candidate just so happens to be the filmmaker who delivered the most well-received Marvel film in recent memory, Thunderbolts*, now titled The New Avengers.
According to Deadline, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is in talks to direct an X-Men film for Marvel Studios, based on a screenplay by Michael Lesslie (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). Marvel Studios is moving quickly to secure their most in-demand director after Thunderbolts* lit up Hollywood last week. The report does not reveal what stage negotiations are at regarding a deal, but it is said that Schreier has been turning down other offers as the X-Men project looms. A recent meeting solidified Marvel’s interest in signing Schreier, although they were well aware of his passion for the X-Men beforehand. It’s unclear who else he beat out for the directing gig, but it’s safe to say the studio is keen on keeping Schreier in-house.

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Moving from Thunderbolts* to X-Men is almost too logical for Schreier, who has shown that he is more than capable of mixing a group of misfits and underrated MCU characters into a successful film. Of course, a deal must close before fans can get more excited, but it sounds like things are certainly headed in that direction. Details remain scarce on which X-Men characters Schreier and company will utilize, but Kevin Feige has a 10-year plan in place that will encapsulate the Mutant Saga. After Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars presumably conclude the rocky Multiverse Saga, Marvel looks to freshen things up with the help of the mutant superhero team.
‘Thunderbolts*’ Is the Best Example of MCU’s New Focus on Quality

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If it wasn’t clear already, Marvel Studios loves Thunderbolts* and the early success the unconventional team-up film has had thus far. In a phase when it seems the MCU lacks consistency on the big screen, Thunderbolts* is the jolt many fans needed. Disney CEO Bob Iger even gave the film a shout-out at an earnings call, praising Marvel for slowing things down and focusing on quality instead of quantity. His words:

“We all know that in our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, that we turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more. We’ve also 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*. I feel very good about that.”

With Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* in the rearview mirror, Marvel Studios looks to continue its hot streak with The Fantastic Four: First Steps this summer. The long-awaited introduction of Marvel’s first family in the MCU has already been teased, and the main cast is currently reprising their respective roles on the set of the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday, which just began production.
Source: Deadline

X-Men

Summary

The X-Men film series consists of superhero films based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The films star an ensemble cast, focusing on Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who is drawn into the conflict between Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart & James McAvoy) and Magneto (Ian McKellen & Michael Fassbender), who have opposing views on humanity’s relationship with mutants. Xavier believes humanity and mutants can coexist, but Magneto believes that mutants are destined to rule humanity. The films also developed subplots based on the comics’ Weapon X and Dark Phoenix storylines.

20th Century Fox earned the film rights to the characters in 1994, and after numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct X-Men (2000) and returned for X2 (2003). He left a potential third and fourth film to direct Superman Returns, leaving Brett Ratner to direct X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Critics praised Singer’s films for their dark, realistic tone, and subtexts dealing with discrimination and intolerance, but Ratner’s film was met with mixed reviews. Nonetheless, each film outgrossed its predecessor, and Fox developed two prequels: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and X-Men: First Class (2011). Both prequels have been planned to continue into two separate trilogies. Some spin-offs of certain characters are being considered, with Deadpool being the only one confirmed so far. There are also discussions of a potential continuation to the main trilogy.

The X-Men films contributed to a reemergence of superhero films in the 2000s

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