Fox finally confirmed its planned X-Men TV series is going to be in its 2017-2018 beginning in the fall. The network announced this week it has ordered "The Gifted" series. The show is from director Bryan Singer with Matt Nix on board as writer.
The show is the first to get a series pickup among the upcoming television slate. Deadline described the series as Fox's drama front-runner and a "high profile" project. While no confirmed release date has been set, for now, more details will likely come out at the annual upfronts presentation among TV networks this May.
Who's in 'The Gifted'?
Leading the cast of television's "X-men" are Stephen Moyer as Reed Strucker and Amy Acker as Caitlin Strucker. Also starring are Jamie Chung as Blink a.k. Clarice Fong, Emma Dumont as Polaris a.k.a. Lorna Dane, Sean Teale as Eclipse Marcos Diaz, Blair Redford as Thunderbird a.k.a. John Proudstar, Coby Bell as Jace Turner, Percy Hynes White as Andy Strucker and Natalie Alyn Lind as Lauren Strucker.
Fans of the Marvel comic book series might recognize these characters' names. "The Gifted" will focus on a couple (Moyer and Acker) who suddenly discover their kids have mutant powers. On the run from the government, the Struckers are taken in by a group of mutants who are also fighting to survive the oppression and hostility.
Check out the first teaser below. A full trailer is expected to be aired on Fox on May 15, so fans of the "X-men" franchise should keep their eyes peeled for this.
The hottest pilot
Insiders were not surprised by the series order given that 'The Gifted' was one of the hottest pilots in this year's development season. Planning the show started in July 2016 and Singer got on the board when Fox made a pilot order last January.
"The Gifted" comes after the successful launch of another "X-Men" inspired series called "Legion," which aired on FX from February to March this year. "Legion," created by Noah Hawley, follows the story of Professor Xavier's son, David Haller. The show will return to the cable channel for season 2 in 2018.
#Marvel has been expanding its comic series on television in the last few years.
The studio also has programs on Netflix -- "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage" and "Iron Fist" and the upcoming launch of "The Defenders" and "The Punisher."
Marvel is also launching two other superhero TV shows. "Inhumans" comes on Freeform this fall and "Runways" will be released on Hulu in 2018.