Brian Michael Bendis Still Working on Secret Marvel Movie Project

Brian Michael Bendis says he's "still working on" his X-Men spinoff under Deadpool director Tim Miller despite the looming Disney-Fox merger.

"I'm literally working on it today. I know there's confusion and guesswork about what's going on with Fox and Disney but I have no information about that," the former All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men writer told ComicBookMovie.

"I do not know what is going on with anything other than that I have been contracted to do something I'm very excited to do with someone I really, really like as a creator. I think Tim is one of the best ever and I'm having a really good time doing it so we'll see what happens. Honestly, I was literally taking a break from writing it to check Twitter the other day and someone said 'Hey, what's going on with that thing?' and I said I'm working on it right now but didn't realize that was news so, yeah, I'm still working on it."

Dubbed "Project 143," Bendis' script has long been suspected to center around Kitty Pryde, a.k.a. Shadowcat, who used her mutant phase-shifting abilities to ward off a demon when left home alone at the X-Mansion in Chris Claremont and John Byrne's Uncanny X-Men #143.

Disney CEO Bob Iger previously confirmed the X-Men rights will come under the purview of Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige when Disney completes its $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox, a deal that could close as early as March 8.

"That is up to Disney. That really is up to Disney. I hope so, but that's up to them," longtime X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour earlier this month when asked about pending X-Men spinoffs — such as Gambit and Multiple Man — now in limbo as result of the merger.

"The problem is you can't have too many Marvel, X-Men superhero movies out there because we will cancel each other out. Each one has to be distinctive and yet you've got The Avengers to follow through," she said.

"You've got so many distinctive story canons to follow through and yet we want new ones, but I don't think you can have more than four. Four is a lot because people are going to get sick of them so we have to be careful. He [Feige] has to be careful."

Feige, who has been legally prohibited from developing any X-Men properties until the merger is completed, recently said the opportunity to wield formerly Fox-controlled properties like X-Men and the Fantastic Four "is something I've been dreaming about for my almost 20 years at Marvel. And it's very exciting."

Fox's Dark Phoenix is due out June 7.

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