It was announced today that FX Networks has ordered a pilot for Legion, based off of the X-Men character of the same name. Noah Hawley (Fargo) has been tapped to write the pilot. He will also serve as Executive Producer alongside fellow Fargo producer John Cameron, X-Men/Fox mainstays Lauren Shuller Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, and Marvel TV execs Jeph Loeb, and Jim Chory.
The pilot introduces the story of David Haller: Since he was a teenager, David has struggled with mental illness. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.
Presidents of Original Programming, FX Networks FX Productions Nick Grad and Eric Schrier made the announcement, and commented on what it means to have the Emmy and Golden Globe Winning Noah Hawley involved in the project:
“Legion is just the sort of ambitious story that Noah excels at,” Grad said. “His adaption of Fargo for television was one of the most acclaimed television events in recent memory. It’s also an honor to partner with Marvel on Legion and to enlist such an accomplished team of Executive Producers to create this pilot.”
My Take:
- Seeing Marvel Televison working with Fox on X-Men properties is great to see
- A show based on The Hellfire Club was also unveiled today
Legion is not the first character you would think of to base a TV show around, but the character has an interesting hook that should make for a great series.- If you don’t watch Fargo you may not know the great work that Noah Hawley has been doing with the show. If Legion ends up half as good as Fargo we will have another solid TV show based on a comic book
- In the comics Legion is Professor X’s son, and the character who started the Age of Apocalypse by accidentally killing Xavier. He most recently was the lead in the latest volume of X-Men Legacy
Keep your browser open on The Marvel Report as we learn more about what Marvel and Fox have in store.