Originally published March 11, 2024. Updated March 12, 2024.
We’re just over a week away from the premiere of X-Men ’97 and this weekend at the Toronto Comicon (March 15 to March 17 at the Metro Convention Centre, Toronto), several of the original X-Men: The Animated Series voice actors who are returning for the revival will appear to mark the occasion. We sat down with voice actor George Buza who voiced Hank McCoy/Beast in the original series and its revival. Watch the interview below…
For X-Men‘s five season run, Buza provided the voice of Beast, the X-Men’s sophisticated and intelligent mutant who, like Xavier, believed in diplomacy to achieve peace between human and mutantkind. Buza spoke about how as a young child he related to the X-Men, feeling like an “other” and how important the animated series was to its fans. As for X-Men ’97, Buza teased what fans can look forward to in the revival and how it will continue many of the serious themes X-Men has been known for.
X-Men ’97 is a continuation of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series which ran for five seasons from 1992 – 1997. The revival/sequel will pick up where the original series left off after Professor Charles Xavier, the X-Men’s leader, left Earth after succumbing to an injury with no cure. In the wake of his absence, Cyclops leads the X-Men to continue Xavier’s mission of peaceful coexistence between human and mutantkind.
The revival revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
X-Men ’97 features Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. The series comes from Beau DeMayo as head writer with the 10-episode season directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura.
X-Men voice actors Cal Dodd (Wolverine), George Buza (Beast), Lenore Zann (Rogue), Alyson Court (Jubilee), Catherine Disher (Jean Grey), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler) and Chris Britton (Mr. Sinister) will appear at the Toronto Comicon this Friday, March 15th.
X-Men ’97 will premiere on March 20th on Disney+.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
