It was reported back in May that Thunderbolts* helmer Jake Schreier was in talks to direct the next X-Men reboot for Marvel Studios, and we haven’t gotten any significant update since then.
Variety is confirming once again that Schreier has been tapped to helm, but is he the right choice for the new X-Men?
With there being heavy emphasis on the X-Men being a team, I’m sure that there are a lot of fans saying that Schreier would be a great pick because he was able to make the Thunderbolts/New Avengers feel like a team, and that justifies him being a great choice. If anything, I still loved his work with projects like Beef and Skeleton Crew.
But when it comes to a property like X-Men, it does feel like Marvel should probably give the chance to a director who has a more personal connection to the property’s themes of discrimination or the minority experience. Say what you will about Bryan Singer, but he definitely understood the assignment when it came to the Fox X-Men movies embracing its LGBTQ+ themes.
The scene in X2 where Iceman reveals his powers to his family mirrors a ‘Coming Out’ dialogue; even the mom going so far to ask Bobby if he’s tried ‘not being a mutant’ felt like it was really pushing the metaphor home:
Even X-Men ’97, the latest critically acclaimed X-Men property, is considered hit very hard emotionally because the now ex-showrunner Beau DeMayo was openly gay and wanted to make sure the series reflected his authentic experience as a minority.
Admittedly, I don’t think your sexuality alone should determine whether you get to work on a project, but with X-Men being such a huge brand, you would think that Marvel would consider it; even if they get a queer person to be attached as a writer or producer.
Personally, think Leslye Headland (The Acolyte, Russian Doll) would be a great fit. Based on her Star Wars work, she already knows how to pull off action scenes. Or, if they’re interested, maybe the Wachowskis would want to take a stab at it. I know the last Matrix movie was divisive, but they still do very great work cinematically, and maybe they’ll have something interesting to say with a property like X-Men.
I mean, Schreier is still a solid pick, but I guess Pride Month really got me thinking about the next iteration of X-Men and how it’s going to be made.
No release date has been set for Marvel’s X-Men reboot, but it will probably come out way after 2027.
