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MUMBAI: The X-Men are going back to the drawing board and then some. Director Jake Schreier has hinted that Marvel’s upcoming mutant reboot will dig deep into the comics for inspiration, including the influential runs of Chris Claremont and Jonathan Hickman, while looking for stories that have not been explored effectively on screen.
Schreier, who previously directed Thunderbolts*, discussed his approach to the MCU’s new X-Men film following the cast reveal at D23 2026. With the film not due until 5 May 2028, the director remained tight-lipped about its plot but offered a glimpse into the material he and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige have been examining.
According to Schreier, one of the earliest conversations between the pair centred on exploring parts of the X-Men universe that previous films had not handled particularly well.
The filmmaker pointed to the breadth of the comic-book mythology, saying he and Feige have been looking back roughly 20 years into Claremont’s work while also exploring Hickman’s more recent stories. The aim, he suggested, is to find material that remains largely untold while creating something that feels fresh for the MCU.
That approach could give Marvel plenty of mutant territory to explore. The franchise has already had multiple cinematic iterations, but Schreier indicated that the new film will respect that history without simply retracing it.
The first major pieces of the new team were revealed at D23, with Inde Navarrette confirmed as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott as Professor X and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister. They join previously announced cast members Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey.
Connor also suggested that audiences should expect a different interpretation of the mutant team. Having grown up with the original X-Men films, he said the new movie feels like a distinctly different version of the group.
Marvel has confirmed X-Men for 5 May 2028, placing it among the studio’s post-Avengers: Secret Wars plans. Ghost Rider is also scheduled for 2028 without a confirmed date, while Black Panther 3 is set for 15 December 2028.
Before the mutants make their MCU debut, Marvel has VisionQuest arriving in October and Avengers: Doomsday in December, both of which received fresh footage at D23. For now, however, the biggest question is what Schreier and Feige will pull from the X-Men’s vast comic-book history and what they will leave behind.
