Following some tentative rumors, two separate X-Men TV spin-offs are in the works. At long last Fox is making the most of its mutant properties, taking the hint from Marvel and DC's successful small-screen universes and branching out with Legion and Hellfire. Legion will appear on Fox's sister network FX, with Hellfire due to debut on Fox. Despite their separate homes, they do share a common thread: X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan Singer is executive producing both.
Part of that role includes his creative input. When talking to Varietyabout Hellfire, based on The Hellfire Club who made a brief appearance in First Class, Singer seems keen to delve into previously untapped areas of the mutant universe. “I think the underbelly [could be explored]. There’s always something interesting about a school that’s got a military aspect beneath its classrooms. Is there another layer to all of that? Is there another layer to the Hellfire Club? The idea of, ‘Who’s running the world?’ — that’s something that was touched upon in First Class but has yet to be fully explored."
"It just has to be explored in a very gentle, methodical way. And I’ve seen it go haywire. I’m not going to be specific where I believe it has. The audience will tell you. But when it’s done right, it all can connect.”
Singer's been involved with the X-Men's live-action adventures since 2000, when he directed the first movie, and so it's no surprise that he wants to be involved in this new pair of projects. But what about more X-Men movies? “When you spend nearly two decades in a universe, to simply say, ‘I’m done,’ or, ‘I’m going to abandon it,’ just wouldn’t make sense to me," he adds. "I’m very connected to this universe and a lot of these actors, and also the characters, whomever plays them. So never say never."
Directed by Bryan Singer and starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Lawrence, Olivia Munn, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, and Hugh Jackman, X-Men: Apocalypse will now be released in UK cinemas on May 18, 2016 before making its way to US theatres on May 27, 2016.
Images: 20th Century Fox
