Jake Schreierhas delivered a bona fide hit for Marvel Studios withThunderbolts*, and it looks like he might be taking his filmmaking talents to another iconic Marvel team. Recent reports say that Schreieris the top pick to direct the upcoming X-Men reboot, which will feature a screenplay fromMichael Lesslie(TheHunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes). This is probably the biggest news, other thanRyan Reynoldsscripting a Deadpool/X-Men team-up, that’s been revealed about the X-Men’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe —and it’s genuinely exciting,because Schreier proved with his work onThunderbolts*that he could perfectly capture the dynamic between the mutant heroes.
The Character Dynamics in ‘Thunderbolts*’ Are Similar to the X-Men
Thunderboltshas been praised for many things, including itssurprisingly deep exploration of mental healthand how itpushes forward the narrative of the MCU.It wouldn’t have been possible without its ensemble of antiheroes,who all either have previous bonds with each other or form a bond throughout the film. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is struggling with her own self-worth, while her adoptive father, Alexei (David Harbour), seeks to become the great hero he once was as the Red Guardian. Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) might not be the Winter Soldier anymore, but he finds a new purpose in leading the team. The Thunderbolts even overcome their doubts to help save their friend Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman) from the darker half of his nature. The joy ofThunderboltsisn’t the world saving, but in watching these “disposable delinquents” — as the Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) so eloquently puts it — save each other.
That’s the exact kind of energy you need for an X-Men movie, especially given the rich history between the characters. People love the X-Men because of their various dynamics. Whether it’s the tight-knit friendships between Nightcrawler and Wolverine, the transcendent love story between Cyclops and Jean Grey, or the surrogate mother/daughter relationship that Storm and Kitty Pryde formed over the years, the X-Men have a dynamic that’s rarely been matched by any other superhero team. They’ve also struggled with their self-worth: Wolverine fights to be more than the literal weapon he was made to be, while Jean dealt with her own darker half during the legendary Dark Phoenix Saga. Schreier’s work onThunderbolts*andRobot & Frankproves he’s more than capable of bringing that dynamic to the silver screen.
Schreier bringing his talent for ensembles to an X-Men movie would also fix an issue that some fans have had with 20th Century Fox’s crop of X-Men movies:only a handful of those films have actually dug into the X-Men’s team dynamic. While entries likeX2: X-Men UnitedandX-Men: Days of Future Pastthrive on the connection between the X-Men, most of the X-Men movies either tend to give the lion’s share of development to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Charles Xavier (Patrick StewartorJames McAvoy, depending on the timeline) or Magneto (Ian McKellenorMichael Fassbender, once again depending on the timeline). This leaves fan-favorite mutants like Psylocke or Jubilee by the wayside, while also short-changing characters with a rich history,particularly Cyclops. Schreier refocusing the X-Men’s story onto the ensemble element will help the MCU version stick out from the Fox films, and win back fans.
There’s also the fact thatFox’s X-Men may be getting a grand sendoff, courtesy ofAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars. Not only willAvengers: Doomsdaysee the return ofmost of the original X-Men cast,butAvengers: Secret Warsis based on a storyline that could be amajor reset for the MCU. It would be the perfect chance to introduce an all-new cast of X-Men, and hopefully give some characters that haven’t gotten the spotlight some much-needed focus. Storm led the X-Men, so Schreier could lean into that, or potentially explore the world of mutantdom via Kitty Pryde.
While no concrete details have been confirmed about the MCU’s X-Men reboot,Jake Schreier proved he was the perfect man to tackle Marvel’s mighty mutants withThunderbolts*. Hopefully, he can wrangle together another amazing cast if he takes the job.
Thunderbolts*is now playing in theaters.
Thunderbolts*
