Earlier this week, Fox announced Legion, a new series spun off from, or at least inspired by, the X-Men universe. In the comics, David Haller/Legion has multiple personalities, each of which have their own unique mutant powers. Oh, and he also happens to be Professor X’s illegitimate son. Fox has tried to downplay the connection between Legion and their X-Men movies right from the get-go, though, stating that the two take place in separate universes. Still, fans can help but wonder – will a few iconic X-Men make cameos?
According to Legion showrunner Noah Hawley (Fargo), the answer is no. At least for now.
“It’s a standalone kind of thing. It’s none of the iconic characters from the movie franchise. I think that’s a strength on some level, because those characters come with rules. It’s hard. You don’t want to be handcuffed, when you’re trying to explore something. The power of making something unpredictable is really an important thing to preserve.”
That said, once Hawley establishes his own universe free of the expectations of X-Men fans, could a few more iconic characters show up then? When specifically asked whether David Haller would be related to Professor X, Hawley had this to say…
“He could be. It’s a different story, but I’m not ruling that out.”
I have a feeling whether or not the X-Men make appearances will be largely dependent on ratings. Gotham was originally pitched as more of a subdued police procedural, but threw every Batman villain possible at the wall when viewership faltered. Wouldn’t be surprised to see something similar happen with Legion.
Legion stars Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza and Jean Smart, and will debut on FX sometime in 2017.
(via HitFix)
