Mashable recently conducted an interview with Bryan Singer (frequent go-to director for many of the X-Men films), who is serving as an executive producer on both FX’s Legion and another untitled X-Men TV show to air on Fox. Singer was recently announced as directing the pilot for the as-yet-unrevealed series, and has discussed bringing Marvel’s mutant heroes to the small screen.
“Marvel Studios, they do their own films, then Fox Studios, we sort of do them separately when I make the X-Men films,” said Singer. “Marvel Television is different. Their TV division works more closely with Fox. I’m actually directing one for Fox network, an X-Men related television show, which we started prepping today. Their television people work with us. It’s nice because we get back-story, we get information. I can’t read every comic book. So I want as much input as possible.”
“I’ve had great success with my TV show House on television,” he continued. “I love the format. I think it’s growing. Some of the best writing is in television. And you can tell stories over long stretches of time. It’s not the two-hour experience, it could be years of an experience. So why not take a universe that’s so multi-faceted like X-Men and bring it to this medium? It’s a whole different paradigm. It’s a whole different world. I started with Usual Suspects. I started with independent films. So I love to do pilots as a director, because it gives me a chance to make like a little indie without having to set up a whole independent film. Usually I’m making them in between big movies. So yeah, it’s a chance to get back to my roots. And if it takes off, like House, it allows you creative freedom.”
Legion is set to premiere on February 8th on FX, while details on the other show are scarce, but will follow two ordinary parents who discover their children are mutants and are forced to go on the run to protect them.
Originally published February 2, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
