X-Men '97: Release date, cast, trailer and news for Marvel series
It's time to relive your childhood Saturday mornings!
It’s almost time for a heady dose of nostalgia, as the X-Men are returning to our screens - just as '90s kids will remember them.
The Marvel characters earned a new generation of fans when they became the stars of a prolific Saturday morning cartoon, and it’s now being revived a quarter of a century later.
There’s been excitement steadily building for the new series for quite some time now, with fans eager to see how the animated show would pick back up from the earlier iteration.
But in surprise news, X-Men '97 writer and producer Beau DeMayo has suddenly parted ways with Marvel.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, which exclusively broke the news of DeMayo's surprise departure, no reason for the firing has been given.
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DeMayo had completed writing duties on X-Men '97 season 2, but now will no longer be promoting the series or moving ahead with future instalments.
He had also previously written on the Oscar Isaac-starring Moon Knight, as well as the new incarnation of Blade.
DeMayo joined Marvel back in November 2021 and had a personal connection to this show, saying in June 2022: "Anyone who feels different, we all have a Magneto inside of us, and we all have a Charles Xavier.
"We all have a part of us that wants to burn it all down, and there’s a part of us who wants to find the compromise and build it up. And those comics really helped me understand my identity."
At the time of writing, Marvel has given no comment to THR about DeMayo’s departure, and his Instagram – which was previously a fan favourite source of X-Men '97 updates – has been deleted.
DeMayo has also not commented on the dismissal.
Even so, the show must go on, and we’re only a matter of days away from the anticipated release of X-Men '97 - so here’s everything you need to know about the series.
X-Men '97 release date
X-Men '97 will kick off with a double-bill launch on Disney Plus on Wednesday 20th March 2024.
From then, episodes will follow a weekly release schedule until the season finale on Wednesday 15th May.
The revival consists of 10 episodes in total.
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X-Men '97 cast
Longtime fans of the series will be pleased to hear that the original cast of X-Men: The Animated Series are involved in this revival, with several reprising their earlier roles and others switching to new characters.
Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith, Adrian Hough and Christopher Britton are back as Wolverine, Rogue, Beast, Storm, Nightcrawler and Mister Sinister, respectively.
The original roles of Catherine Disher, Chris Potter, Alyson Court, Lawrence Bayne, Ron Rubin have been recast, but the voice actors will still feature in the show as other supporting characters.
Replacing them in the roles of Jean Grey, Gambit, Jubilee and Morph are newcomers Jennifer Hale, A J LoCascio, Holly Chou, JP Karliak. Potter will step into the Cable role previously held by Bayne.
The MCU's resident impressionist Ross Marquand – who has previously stepped in for Hugo Weaving's Red Skull and James Spader's Ultron – will voice Professor X in the series (replacing Cedric Smith).
The White Lotus season 2 and The Gentlemen star Theo James has also been cast in the series in an undisclosed role, said to be a "fan favourite".
What is X-Men '97 about?
Marvel has unveiled the episode titles for X-Men '97, with some fans drawing unconfirmed connections to popular stories from the comic books.
For example, episodes four and six feature the term 'Lifedeath', which is taken from a bumper-sized X-Men issue focused on the character of Storm, which finds the character de-powered and stumbling upon an unlikely romantic interest.
A more tenuous theory is that the three-part finale – titled Tolerance is Extinction – could be inspired in some way by Grant Morrison's bold reinvention E for Extinction.
However, that arc began in 2001 in the comics, so it might not be eligible for inclusion in this distinctly '90s-centric interpretation of the source material.
The official synopsis reads: "Marvel Animation’s X-Men’97 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 trailer
Marvel dropped the trailer for X-Men '97 in February – check it out below:
X-Men '97 is available to stream on Disney Plus from Wednesday 20th March 2024. Sign up to Disney Plus for £1.99 a month (limited time only).
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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