Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: beau demayo, X-Men '97

X-Men '97 EP Brad Winderbaum On Beau DeMayo And Honoring Legacies

Brad Winderbaum, EP on X-Men '97 and Marvel Studios’ head of streaming, television, and animation, on Beau DeMayo and honoring legacies.

Two days ago, Marvel fans were surprised to find out that Beau DeMayo, the executive producer and head writer on the upcoming and highly anticipated X-Men '97, had been fired by Marvel Studios. There didn't appear to be a specific reason why DeMayo was fired, which had led to many assuming everything from something small to the absolute worst. Still, nothing has been confirmed in any possible way. At the moment, we know next to nothing about why this firing occurred two weeks before the show's season one premiere, where DeMayo worked on seasons one and two. At the moment, no one has said anything specifically about the firing. However, in an interview that was likely done before the firing took place, Brad Winderbaum, EP on X-Men '97 and Marvel Studios' head of streaming, television, and animation, told Variety that DeMayo did great work honoring the legacies of everyone involved with X-Men.

"He did excellent work writing Seasons 1 and 2, and I can't wait for fans to see the series," Winderbaum says. "The entire team came together to create a revival worthy of the X-Men's 60-year legacy. From Stan and Jack, to Claremont, to the Lewalds, we all truly were standing on the shoulders of giants."

DeMayo worked with Marvel before X-Men '97, writing on Moon Knight, and he also wrote for Blade, a film that appears to have hit yet another pothole in its long road to getting to the big screen. The premiere of X-Men '97 took place the day after the firing, and DeMayo was not present at that event. All evidence that he was involved with the project has been scrubbed from his social media accounts, which are still active. Further on in the Variety piece, original showrunner Eric Lewald spoke to the outlet days before we knew about the firing back in late February.

"We love and respect Beau DeMayo for taking on this job. He's one of those superfans who knows our show better than we do. He said, 'We want it to be an extension. We want it to be like the next episode of the show that all of us on staff love and grew up with.' They could have done a spinoff or a different character or team, and yet they chose to be an extension of our show, which just is ridiculously gratifying to us."

Whatever happened here with DeMayo, it appears everyone involved with X-Men '97 is happy with how the show turned out. No one has specifically commented on the firing at the time of writing, and all comments in the Variety piece appear to have been said before the firing took place.

X-Men '97: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Marvel Animation's X-Men'97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.

The all-new series features ten episodes. The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley, and Emi Yonemura, and the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo. Featuring music by the Newton Brothers, Marvel Animation's X-Men '97 begins streaming on Disney+ with a 2-episode premiere on March 20, 2024.

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