X-Men: Writer Announced for Upcoming MCU Movie

A writer has been tapped for Marvel’s upcoming X-Men movie.

Per Deadline, Michael Lesslie is currently in negotiations to write the upcoming MCU X-Men movie. Lesslie previously worked on the screenplays for 2015’s Macbeth, 2016’s Assassin’s Creed, and 2023’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

He’s also written a number of other upcoming projects, including Aneil Karia’s adaptation of Hamlet and Now You See Me 3.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is producing the film. No cast has been announced at this time and a director is not yet attached to the project. Plot details remain under wraps.

“Even with Leslie officially boarding it still will be some time before we get a movie in theaters as the film will now look to find a director to oversee the development with Feige and Leslie,” Deadline’s article notes.

Mutants already have a presence within the MCU

Mutants have gradually been introduced into the MCU after The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. Notably, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel was revealed to be a mutant in the 2022 Ms. Marvel miniseries, while Namor was also the featured villain of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Additionally, Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Charles Xavier in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while Kelsey Grammer’s Beast made an appearance in the post-credit scene of 2023’s The Marvels.

Marvel’s next movie is Deadpool & Wolverine, which will officially bring the Merc with the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) into the MCU as he partners with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) for a new mission. Directed by Free Guy’s Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine releases in United States theaters on July 26, 2024.

A release date for Marvel Studios’ X-Men movie has not yet been set.