Disney+ will soon be reviving the iconic 1990s “X-Men: The Animated Series” with the upcoming “X-Men ’97” – a direct continuation of the end of that series.
Development of the revival series was announced in late 2021 with Beau DeMayo on board as the show’s head writer and showrunner. DeMayo has quickly built a reputation for himself on various shows.
He’s a supervising producer and writer on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” penning two of the season’s best episodes (4 & 7). He was a writer/story editor on “The Originals,” a supervising producer/writer on Marvel’s “Moon Knight,” and a co-producer/writer on “The Witcher” and its animated film spin-off.
For “X-Men ’97,” we know most of the original cast are reprising their roles, but otherwise details on the series have been scarce. Now though, as part of a recent Q&A session on Instagram, DeMayo spoke about the development of the project and shared his most important writers room rule which he learned from one of the other shows he’s working on:
“In fall of 2020, Marvel’s head of streaming asked me to develop a take to revive this show. From there, I pitched it out [and] was hired. My LP was the first hire, and he brought along all the amazing talent that followed.
My general rule was you HAD to be a fan. No questions. I’ve been on shows – namely The Witcher – where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material).
It’s a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you’re allowed to add to its legacy.”
The update also indicates Marvel has not let the project be put on the back burner as some had feared due to the little discussion about it since its announcement. The original “X-Men: The Animated Series” is streaming on DIsney+ now.
