Marvel Studios is now working on a major reboot of the X-Men franchise after Disney officially acquired the rights from Fox. And while fans know the mutants’ story by heart, director Jake Schreier teased that it would be “recognizably different.”
Ahead of the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that the Thunderbolts* director would helm the X-Men reboot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Now, the filmmaker himself has shared some thoughts about the highly anticipated movie — and it’s something fans might not expect.
What Does Jake Schreier Say About the X-Men Reboot?
After their time in the Fox-Marvel universe, the X-Men are finally joining the MCU—and director Jake Schreier promises the reboot will be different from the version led by Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart as Wolverine and Professor X.
In an interview with The Playlist, Schreier said his take on Marvel’s team of mutants will feel fresh.
“Yeah, I think that’s fair to say,” he claimed when asked if the reboot would be “recognizably different.” “To be able to explore all of the ideas that are inherent to that rich source material, but also at the scale inherent to the source material, that’s like a very rare and fortunate opportunity. That’s very exciting.”
He added that what makes X-Men so compelling is its complexity, thanks to the characters’ internal struggles.
“These characters are wrestling with their identity and place in the world—that’s inherently interesting and complex material,” he added.
His comments suggest that the reboot will explore the emotions and themes of the original comics more deeply, which past versions only briefly touched on.
With that being said, Schreier won’t change the story completely but plans to add more emotional depth.
While he may not reinvent it, he’ll likely bring a new emotional depth to the story.
How Will the X-Men Reboot Be Different from Previous Adaptations?
With Schreier’s new take on the X-Men and Feige’s earlier statement that the reboot would be “youth-focused,” the movie is expected to target a younger audience—unlike Fox’s version, which was more suited for adults due to its violence and mature themes.
“We had a great experience with him on Thunderbolts*, and if you saw that movie, what he did with those character interactions, he also has his pulse on, shall we say, a younger demographic,” Feige told Nerdist. “Not, he’s younger than me, for sure, but he’s tapped into that in a way that I think is important. It was important for Thunderbolts*, much more important for X-Men, because X-Men, as it was in the comics, will be a very youth-oriented, focused, and cast movie.”
Fans also may not see the new X-Men in the all-black costumes from the Fox era, especially after Galactus and Wolverine’s comic-accurate looks in The Fantastic Four and Deadpool & Wolverine.
“We want to embrace that which was not embraced 25 years ago, when I was around on those early X-Men movies, which is those comic-accurate looks,” he told GamesRadar+.
So, along with more colorful costumes, the new X-Men will also be much younger, which will be reflected in the casting of the mutants.
By the looks of it, from tone to narrative, the new X-Men could be bolder—and truly different—as they make their debut in the MCU.
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