It took decades, a corporate acquisition, and an R-rated team-up between Deadpool and Wolverine, but Marvel’s mutants are finally clawing their way into the MCU. With production underway on Avengers: Doomsday and the Multiverse Saga hurtling toward its climax, Marvel Studios appears ready to lay the foundation for its next major chapter centred around the X-Men. According to Deadline, Jake Schreier, fresh off directing Thunderbolts*, is being lined up to helm Marvel’s long-anticipated X-Men reboot.
No official announcement has been made about the film, but sources say Schreier met with Marvel last week about the project, which is being written by Michael Lesslie. Known for his work on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Assassin’s Creed, Lesslie is expected to script the first MCU iteration of the beloved mutant team.
Schreier’s name has gained significant momentum following the early praise for Thunderbolts* (also billed as The New Avengers) which has been received as a creative win for the studio’s pivot toward smaller, more focused storytelling. It’s a move reminiscent of past MCU strategies, like the Russos’ leap from Captain America: The Winter Soldier to Avengers: Infinity War, or Destin Daniel Cretton’s jump from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
While Marvel Studios hasn’t committed to a specific timeline for the X-Men’s mainline debut, the groundwork is already in motion. The multiverse has allowed the studio to honor past iterations, bringing in legacy characters such as Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kelsey Grammer’s Beast in The Marvels, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. Avengers: Doomsday will deepen that connection, with actors from Fox’s X-Men era, including Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, and James Marsden, joining the battle.
What sets the X-Men apart within Marvel’s world is the allegorical weight they carry. Their stories have always reflected real-world social struggles: identity, discrimination, the search for belonging. Schreier’s ability to find emotional clarity in ensemble storytelling could help ensure these themes land with both longtime fans and newcomers. His recent Marvel debut showcased his ability to elevate a team storyline while maintaining individual arcs, something essential to bringing the mutant metaphor to life.
And while a full X-Men reboot may still be a couple of years out, the road to Xavier’s School is finally open, and all signs point to Schreier leading the class in 2027.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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