UPDATE 8/6/2015: Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden has informed the The Hollywood Reporter that Fox is currently negotiating with Marvel to bring the X-Men to television in a live-action series from "Star Trek 3" screenwriters Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, with "24's" Evan Katz and Manny Coto serving as showrunners. "[For] X-Men, we're in negotiations with Marvel," said Weldon. "We're hopeful we'll be able to announce something soon. We're not closed on a deal yet but it's something we're definitely pursuing," In light of today's update from Weldon, here's another look at some of the many X-Men characters we hope to see on TV.
Academy X
A series focusing on the drama that goes along with being a teenager attending a school for mutants feels like a no-brainer, especially considering just how valuable and vocal the teenage demographic is. Think "Harry Potter" meets "Avengers" and you'll get an idea of just how potent this idea is. There are also plenty of characters to pull from as the X-Men comics tend to introduce a new generation of mutant teens once a decade -- and most of them have been left untouched by the films. Cannonball, Dani Moonstar, Wolfsbane, Boom Boom, Husk, Skin, Chamber, Anole, Pixie, Mercury, Amor, X-23, Tempus -- the list can go on and on. Stick the most popular teen character left relatively untouched by the movies -- Jubilee -- in the lead role and this show could turn into the must-see teen drama.
X-Force
Or maybe Fox shouldn't go the teenager route. Maybe they should try to skew a little bit older and edgier with "X-Force," an all-out action series starring some of the most badass mutants that have yet to make a big impression on the big screen. The time-traveling cyborg known as Cable could hold down the lead role, with characters like Domino, Rictor, Feral and Warpath providing back up. Cable's goal of averting Apocalypse's apocalypse could both tie the series in with the feature films and give the series a solid mission statement. The '90s iteration of "X-Force" was known for mixing overblown action sequences with big character drama, which makes it a perfect fit for the network that's home to "Sleepy Hollow" and "Gotham."
Excalibur
"Doctor Who" is one of the most popular -- if not the most popular -- sci-fi/fantasy adventure show currently being produced, and Fox just so happens to own the movie rights for a series that was created in the late '80s as Marvel's answer to "Who." This U.K.-based team features a thrown together assortment of superhero oddballs going up against wacky yet menacing threats from neighboring dimensions. If Fox could convince Alan Cumming -- who's no stranger to television -- to reprise his role as Nightcrawler, X-Fans would rightfully freak out. Get "Doctor Who" writer Paul Cornell, who also wrote a more recent iteration of this team for Marvel, as the showrunner, and this could become a weird and wild hit.
Longshot & Dazzler
She's a dynamic pop star with the ability to turn sound into light! He's a genetically engineered rock star warrior form an alternate dimension with great luck! Together they could form a will they/won't they pair of super-powered individuals thrown together to fight evil and look good while doing it. This series could spend equal parts dealing with the music industry -- a topic that Fox has found success with thanks to "Empire" -- and Longshot's insane home dimension, Mojoworld. As the '90s X-Men cartoon demonstrated, the best way to depict Longshot's TV-obsessed alternate reality is to actually put it on television. And come on -- some part of you wants to see a live-action adaptation of the spineless Mojo.
X-Factor Investigations
Television loves procedural dramas, and the mid-00s iteration of "X-Factor" was created to mimic that feel in comic book form. Set in the offices of X-Factor Investigations, the series followed Jamie Madrox and his team of mutant private investigators as they worked with clients both human and super human to solve all types of cases. That premise would be right at home on any big network, and the team's street-level focus would really help keep the series budget under control. These characters also have a loyal fanbase built right in, one that kept the book alive and continually published for almost a decade. And come on, how cool would it be to finally see Shatterstar's double-bladed swords come to life?
Storm
As an A-List X-Man and one of the most prominent superheroes in the world, Storm deserves more than the little screen time she has gotten in the X-Men film franchise. Ororo Munroe could -- and should -- headline a weekly television series. Storm's a complex character; she's been a thief, a goddess, a superhero, a teacher and more in her forty years of existence; she's the kind of character that really needs a dozen or more hours of film to really get right. Thankfully, we're finally in an age when series with female leads are hits with critics ("Agent Carter") and win awards ("The Good Wife"), and shows with diverse casts and leads ("Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder") are also ratings successes. The time is right for "Storm" -- hopefully Fox realizes this sooner rather than later.