X-Men ’97 could run for years—maybe longer than you think
X-Men ’97 could be in it for the long haul. Executive producers say Marvel’s Brad Winderbaum wants the animated revival to run for multiple seasons, hinting at surprisingly ambitious long-term plans.
Here's something you don't hear every day in TV land: the executive producers behind X-Men ‘97 are talking about keeping this animated mutant train running for a full decade. Frankly, in the age of endless reboots and short-lived revivals, that sort of ambition is almost jaw-dropping.
Marvel Is Thinking Long-Term for X-Men ‘97
Eric Lewald, one of the executive producers, sat down with POC Culture and basically confirmed that Marvel boss Brad Winderbaum isn't here for a quick nostalgia cash-in. No, Winderbaum apparently wants this series revival to go the distance—ten seasons, to be exact. Lewald was pretty emphatic on the subject, saying:
“Brad's [Winderbaum] bursting up and down, and you know he wants to do 10, and we want him to do 10.”
He didn't stop there either. Turns out Lewald himself is keen to still be having these chats about Season 10, eight years from now. And given there's 60 years' worth of comics to mine for new stories, he pointed out, they've got a practically bottomless well of material.
Season Four Already in the Works?
Now, this isn't just a bit of blue-sky dreaming. Larry Houston, another executive producer and a key figure behind the original ‘90s X-Men: The Animated Series, has said they're actively working on future seasons—even revealing that Disney and Marvel have verbally given the go-ahead for a fourth season already. Which, for an animated series these days, is quite rare. Houston isn't shy about his ambitions either. In his words:
“Well, I know they're going to try and match, you know, I did five seasons [for the original series].”
But he's got his own goalpost too:
“I'm pushing for five.”
So, you've got studio execs talking big numbers, and the veterans who built the original aiming at least to match their earlier run. It's not every day you see this kind of creative unity about keeping something going for years and years, especially in animation.
- The original X-Men: The Animated Series ran for five seasons from 1992 to 1997.
- X-Men ‘97 is a direct continuation, with several core original team members returning as executive producers for the reboot.
- Both Lewald and Houston are executive producing the second season, which kicked off on Disney+ from 1st July.
It's a surprisingly driven approach for a genre revival, and the fact the original brain trust is leading the charge makes it all the more uncanny.