X-Men ’97 Receives Major Updates for Upcoming Seasons

Marvel’s X-Men ’97 premiered under unusual circumstances earlier this year as series showrunner Beau DeMayo parted ways with Marvel just days before the first episodes were released on Disney+. The reasons behind the split were never officially disclosed, but Marvel executives continued to speak positively of DeMayo. Simultaneously, DeMayo himself kept discussing the show as episodes were rolled out. Now, a fresh update has touched upon the future of Marvel’s X-Men ’97, with a report from Deadline revealing that Marvel’s What If…? scribe Matthew Chauncey is set to take over as the writer for the series.

According to the report, Chauncey will succeed Beau DeMayo as the lead writer for the show. However, Chauncey will actually be penning the third season of Marvel’s X-Men ’97. Before his departure, DeMayo had already crafted the scripts for both Season 1 and Season 2. While it has been noted that the scripts for Season 2 underwent some revisions, Chauncey’s work on Season 3 is now actively in progress. Chauncey will collaborate with X-Men ’97 director Jake Castorena and consulting producers Larry Houston and Eric and Julia Lewald, who have returned to the Marvel team after their work on X-Men: The Animated Series in the 1990s.

Speaking in a previous interview with ComicBook’s Phase Zero podcast earlier this year, Jake Castorena shed some light on the process of Season 2 of X-Men ’97, likening it to baking a cake. “Nobody wants to ruin a cake. I don’t want to ruin a cake. Let us bake it,” Castorena laughed. “The cake is well underway and being made, being fabricated as we speak. There is no rest for the wicked I guess. To use that phrase. We rolled right into Season 2 while we were on Season 1!”

DeMayo also offered some insights into his involvement with Season 2. “I did write a lot of Season 2,” DeMayo shared. “However, unlike Season 1, I will not be heavily involved or leading production, cast records, design, editorial, post, music, etc., nor doing any production rewrites as it relates to the creative vision of the show. This is why I’ve said I can’t really speak to Season 2. But, looking forward to seeing the final product with you all whenever it airs. I have high hopes.”

The original X-Men: The Animated Series voice cast members Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler), and Christopher Britton (Mister Sinister) are reprising their roles from the ’90s series. Returning cast members Catherine Disher (original Jean Grey), Chris Potter (original Gambit), Alyson Court (original Jubilee), and Lawrence Bayne (original Cable) are set to lend their voices to new characters.

The new X-Men ’97 cast features Ray Chase (Cyclops), Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey), JP Karliak (Morph), AJ LoCascio (Gambit), Holly Chou (Jubilee), Isaac Robinson-Smith (Bishop), and Matthew Waterson (Magneto).

X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+.