Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier played coy about his alleged involvement as director of the MCU X-Men reboot. Previously, 20th Century Fox assembled an X-Men film series based on the characters from Marvel Comics. Disney acquired Fox in a deal back in 2019. Several characters from the X-Men Universe have appeared in the MCU since the 2019 acquisition.
Schreier Addresses Rumored X-Men Involvement
Screier was asked about what his take would be on the X-Men during an interview at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Malta. Unsurprisingly, the director played his cards close to his chest and avoided directly confirming his involvement on the mutant team. Schreier said, “Even if I were confirmed on that movie, I don’t think I would be allowed to answer that question.”
He added, “I guess what I would say is that it always starts from character and working with great writers and collaborators, and certainly thinking about how to do something different with any project that you take on. That’s as much as I can say.” Schreier’s statement can be interpreted in several ways: either he is the director for the reboot, or perhaps he isn’t; or maybe he is working with Marvel to possibly take on the role and follow the studio’s instructions to avoid revealing any details.
Schreier knows exactly what fans are looking for, and his comments come on the eve of Ryan Coogler revealing that Schreier would be directing the X-Men reboot. Schreier’s statements are not a definitive no, but it’s not exactly a cold, firm yes either. There has been speculation that the Thunderbolts* director is the top choice for the X-Men reboot. Coogler had made the comments to shut down rumors that he was going to be the director for the X-Men.
Even though it didn’t break through at the box office, Thunderbolts* was generally well-received by critics. They praised the film’s tone and sharp character development. The movie debuted at 76$ million domestically, a modest result by Marvel standards. The strong reviews and essential support from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger have helped Schreier become one of Marvel’s most trusted storytellers.
Iger said this about Marvel changing their approach to projects: “I think the first and best example is Thunderbolts*. We’ve learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. We lost a little focus by making too much.” The mutants need a grounded, emotionally rich X-Men story in their first proper MCU outing.
Final Thoughts
Many movie fans may remember Schreier from his past films, such as Paper Towns and Robot & Frank. The director has built a reputation by creating deeply human characters, which will fit the mutants well when they make their debut in the MCU. The X-Men are not just gifted superheroes; they are outcasts, a marginalized group, and a metaphor for many generations of social struggle. As for what’s next with Marvel, Fantastic Four: First Steps is coming soon, with Avengers: Doomsday currently shooting in London, and the studio has expanded its slate with some new projects.
