Fox May Make an 'X-Men' TV Series -- But Needs Marvel's Blessing

It’s been rumored that Fox wants to turn “X-Men” into a television series, and now one network executive is speaking out about the possibility for the first time.



In an interview with TV Insider, Gary Newman revealed that Fox is indeed interested in making the mutant comic series into a TV show, and that the network is currently in negotiations to do so. There’s one major hurdle standing in Fox’s way, though: While the company owns the movie rights to the franchise, Marvel still owns the rights to the characters outright, and needs to grant Fox permission to use them again for television.



Making that matter more complicated is Marvel’s new owner, Disney, which also owns ABC and has been developing superhero-themed programming for that network (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Agent Carter”), along with Netflix (“Daredevil,” “A.K.A. Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist,” “Luke Cage”). Marvel may not want to extend the same courtesy to a broadcast rival.



“It’s in negotiations,” Newman told TV Insider of talks with Marvel. “We’re cautiously optimistic, we had a good meeting with them. That will not be on a fast track creatively. This is just the deal, now we have to find the creative.”



While TV Insider reports that there are no writers currently attached to the project, The Hollywood Reporter hints that that may not quite be the case. According to THR, onetime “Star Trek 3” writers Patrick McKay and JD Payne are co-writing the “X-Men” TV treatment, and are slated to get a “created by” credit on the series along with “24” producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto. Fox declined to comment on THR’s report.



TV Insider also wrote that if the “X-Men” series does take off, it will be a long wait before audiences will get to see it: Newman told the site that the show wouldn’t debut before the 2016-2017 season at the earliest. Stay tuned.



[via: TV Insider, The Hollywood Reporter]



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