Last year, we learned that FOX was getting into the Marvel biz with Hellfire (and Noah Hawley's Legion on their sister network FX), an adaptation of The Hellfire Club comic book series from 24 creators Manny Coto and Evan Katz. The series was meant to follow a young agent who discovered a secret society of powerful mutants who used their abilities to shape the world.
But then, updates went dry on the project. While Legion casted-up and moved ahead into production, it was all quiet on the Hellfire front until last month, when we learned that the network had opted to move forward with a new untitled X-Men spin-off from Burn Notice creator Matt Nix instead, which would take their televised mutant universe in a new direction.
While speaking with /Film at the TCA press tour, Fox Television Group Chairman and CEO Dana Walden shed some light on why the network opted to pass on their original concept.
“We did see an early draft of Hellfire and there was a lot of work to be done,” Walden said. “Manny and Evan were getting very busy with the new 24. At a certain point we all regrouped, together with Simon Kinberg and Bryan Singer and Lauren Shuler Donner and Jeph Loeb at Marvel and really made a decision. I would say if there was anything about Hellfire that was not ideal for us, it felt like a show that wanted to live as a feature rather than really taking advantage of what television does best: exploring relationships and characters and smaller moments. It doesn’t mean it can’t feel like a big show but Hellfire felt more like another installment of the features.”
Walden didn't offer up too many details on Nix's new concept for an X-Men series, which reportedly follows two ordinary parents forced to go on the run from a corrupt government when their children begin manifesting mutant abilities. However, she did reveal we'll see some familiar faces along the way.
“There will be some iconic characters but mostly this is about a new family,” Walden said. “It’s about an average family who encounters this extraordinary world and children who have mutant powers and they end up on the run, so it’s a little bit underground railroad in terms of a storytelling spine.”
What do you guys think? Which show sounds more interesting to you? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.
