The script for Fox's unmade X-Men movie about Nicholas Hoult's Beast has apparently leaked online.
Titled X-Men: Fear the Beast, the John Ottman-penned script was shared to the r/MarvelStudioSpoilers subreddit. Though unconfirmed by Ottman, the plot appears to line up with a Complex article about the scrapped film.
The leaked screenplay focuses on Nicholas Hoult’s Hank McCoy/Beast, who finds himself struggling to control his own mutation and subsequently going on a solo mission to save an old friend – which Complex reports is the near exact plot for Ottman's screenplay. Major players in the unproduced film include Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Professor Xavier, Wendigo, and Mr. Sinister – whose arrival was teased in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Though the film was ultimately shelved, Dark Phoenix and New Mutants were given the go-ahead – though both films were released to mixed reviews.
It's worth noting that the script was apparently written before the merger that put Disney in control of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios has since retained the rights to X-Men from Fox, though there aren't any plans for standalone X-Men films in the upcoming Marvel Phase 5 or 6. Namor, a mutant, made a significant appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Deadpool 3 sees Jackman put on the Wolverine suit once more. Should Beast make his official MCU debut, it's unclear whether Nicholas Hoult, who played a younger Beast in Apocalypse, or Kelsey Grammer, who played Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past, would reprise the role.
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