In making their first official move – and an admittedly uninspiring one at that – towards bringing the titular team into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney has reportedly entered talks with The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes co-screenwriter Michael Lesslie to have him pen the script for their upcoming X-Men film reboot.
Per Deadline‘s Justin Kroll, Lesslie and Marvel are currently “in negotiations” regarding his possible assignment to Marvel’s Merry Band of Mutants – and though the deal has yet to be finalized, it appears current expectations are that its inking is all but inevitable.
Like many of Marvel Studios’ recent hires, Lesslie’s resume is, to say the least, lacking.
Aside from the latest Hunger Games entry, the only other notable writing credits to Leslie’s names are for Michael Fassbender’s 2015 outing as Macbeth and his abysmal 2016 appearance in Assassin’s Creed, both of which he provided the screenplays for.
Additionally, Lesslie has also served as a producer on a smattering of different film projects, including the Errol Morris-directed Steve Bannon bio-documentary American Dhama, the MAX original film Locked Down starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Amazon Prime’s Viggo Mortensen-led dramatization of the Tham Luang cave rescue Thirteen Lives.
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Further, it should be noted that given his recent work adapting a YA novel for teenage girls, Lesslie’s all-but-confirmed hiring for X-Men lends credence to previous rumors that the film will center on the team’s female members.
This whisper was first raised to the public in December 2023, courtesy of noted scooper Daniel ‘DanielRPK’ Richtman.
Taking to his personal Patreon account, Richtman alleged that not only would the X-Men’s MCU debut feature a woman-centric plot, but it would also feature Mr. Sinister as its villain over Magneto – a decision reportedly made in order to distinguish the MCU from Fox’s previous X-film series.
Further, in an April 2024 scooper, Ritchman would not only confirm that Marvel was still interested in a woman-centric direction for the film, but that they were now also seeking to have it both introduce characters who hadn’t yet been in live-action, as well as have strike a narrative balance between drama and comedy.
However, as of writing Lesslie’s attachment to the film is the only publicly revealed – even if by way of insider sources rather than Marvel themselves – regarding the upcoming X-Men reboot.
But should one make an educated guess, it’s likely fans may learn some further details regarding the MCU’s proper introduction of mutants when Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26th.
