Fox’s X-Men television series has been in development for a few months now with rumors popping up here and there about how far into it the series is. Now that Legion is airing on their subsidiary, FX, attention seems to have returned to the X-Men TV show that will tie more closely into the mythology Marvel Comics fans know.
The as of yet untitled X-Men show has jumped into the casting process to populate what has been described as an “action-adventure pilot”. Again, the description seeming to be more tonally similar to the Bryan Singer-helmed franchise of feature films.
Stephen Moyer, who played vampire Bill Compton on HBO’s True Blood for seven seasons, has been cast in Fox’s X-Men TV show according to Deadline. He is tapped to play the lead, meaning that he will once again do the heavy lifting on the series. Moyer will be playing Reed, father and patriarch, who discovers - along with his wife - that their children are mutants. In typical X-Men storytelling style the family goes on the run from a hostile government eventually joining an underground mutant-friendly movement. For his part, Reed is an ambitious lawyer working at the DA’s office when the show begins.
Moyer previously starred in Shots Fired for 20th Century Fox, this being the next step in their working relationship. He joins previously announced cast members Blair Redford (Satisfaction), who will play the hard-headed mutant leader of the underground movement and Jamie Chung (Gotham), who has been tapped to play Blink - a character who BingBing Fan portrayed in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The pilot episode will be directed by Bryan Singer who previously directed four of Fox’s X-Men movies.
Moyer is a very safe choice to helm this new X-Men TV show. Where Dan Stevens on Legion was a stretch, having never led an American television show before, Moyer led one of the most successful genre shows of all time in addition to leading a show for Fox previously. He’s tried and true and age appropriate for the part. While it’s a disappointment that he will not be playing one of the characters with powers, his character has the opportunity to bring a lot of humanity to the show.
On the other hand, very little is known about what this Fox X-Men show is going to be and exactly how Moyer’s Reed will fit into it. He may secretly be the villain of the series who will betray his family in the service of helping them or the greater good. Or, having to go on the run could bring them closer than ever. There are absolutely opportunities in the source material for this to turn into a wonderful role.
Next: FOX’s X-Men TV Series Creator Teases Which Characters Will Appear
The as-yet untitled X-Men TV series has no release date.
Source: Deadline
