X-Men: What Jake Schreier's direction could mean for the MCU mutant project

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's X-Men project a major boost on May 8, 2025. Rumor has it that Jake Schreier is the top contender to take up this position. If you don't recognize the name, Schreier is the same man who directed the recently released MCU project Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers, which has received both popular and critical appreciation.

Therefore, it is understandable that he is the top choice for directing the yet-to-be-titled X-Men project. Deadline, a reputable source of Hollywood news, broke this story. However, it should also be noted that Jake Schreier hasn't signed the deal to direct the long-gestating Marvel project. Thus, it might also happen that talks between Marvel Studios and Jake Schreier break down in the future.

What Jake Schreier's direction could mean for X-Men

The last time the MCU's X-Men project was in the news was in May 2024, when it was revealed that the screenwriter for the project would be Michael Lesslie, who also wrote Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes. After that, the most significant development came yesterday, with a Deadline report revealing that Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers' director Jake Schreier.

If Schreier indeed ends up in the director's chair for the MCU's X-Men project, then fans could end up reassured that the end product could be much more psychological and family-centric. But as of now, it isn't official that he will be the one directing the MCU project because it doesn't have a release date, and Marvel Studios is in no hurry to rush it.

Most probably, the MCU's X-Men movie will release somewhere after Avengers: Secret Wars, which might reboot the MCU, giving the mutants a chance to shine in their own phase. It also should be noted that Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers gave Marvel Studios a much-needed win and confidence boost that was missing for a while. This was acknowledged even by Disney CEO Bob Iger.

What did Disney CEO Bob Iger say?

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Disney CEO Bob Iger attended an investor call on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. In that call, Iger acknowledged the company's struggle with its release slate after the pandemic and also assured the investors that the upcoming Disney release slate is stronger than their previous post-pandemic release slate:

“We all know that in our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, that we turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more. We’ve also learned over over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. And frankly, we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much. By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality. I think the first and best example is ‘Thunderbolts*.’ I feel very good about that.”

Referring to the upcoming Disney release slate consisting of “Lilo & Stitch,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Fantastic Four: The First Steps,” “Zootopia 2,” “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” “Toy Story 5,” and “Avengers: Doomsday,” Iger said:

“I have a lot of confidence that are upcoming slate. That’s quite a lineup, as strong as any slate that I’ve seen in a long time.”

The recent success of Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers has fans hopeful for a strong X-Men adaptation in the future. Furthermore, the two X-Men projects released by Marvel Studios, Deadpool & Wolverine, and X-Men '97 have won both fans’ and critical acclaim. Fans don’t have to wait for a Marvel Studios X-Men project for that long either.

As we wait for the MCU X-Men movie, the second season of X-Men '97 will release in 2026

X-Men '97 Season 1, which itself is a continuation of the fan-favorite X-Men: The Animated Series from the 90s, was released in February 2024. This legacy series was an instant hit that won both fans and critics alike right from the first episode. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising when the animated series was renewed for two more seasons.

While the third season doesn’t have a release date, season 2 does have a release window. Brad Winderbaum, who is the Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel, revealed the possible release window for X-Men '97 Season 2 in a March 2025 Collider interview:

“Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 is going to be in ‘26. We're working on it now. It's exciting. That world of the ‘90s is just… Honestly, Steve, I can't believe they let me make it. I grew up at Marvel, as you know. I've clocked a lot of time here, and I feel like I used a lot of currency to revive this thing that I loved watching after school. So, the fact that we get to play in that universe with those actors is honestly why I went into this business in the first place.”