Legion Producers Talk X-Men Movies And Marvel Connections At NYCC

Today at New York Comic Con the producers and cast members from FX’s upcoming X-Men-inspired television series Legion attended the show’s first convention panel. The panel included a screening of the first half of the Legion pilot, as well as a question and answer section.

Many of the questions revolved around how Legion connects to the X-Men movies, or even to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The producers took the opportunity to set certain things straight in the minds of fans looking forward to Legion.

Will fans see Legion reference the fact that David Haller, the series’ protagonist played by Dan Stevens, is the son of Professor X in the Marvel Comics Universe? “I don’t think you can tell that story without that element to it, so I will say you probably will,” showrunner Noah Hawley offered. Stevens added, “There’s a wheelchair in the first scene.”

How does Legion connect to the X-Men movies? “I think there’s a certain degree to where that’s to be determined,” Hawley said. “We’re in the subjective reality of David. We also begin to realize, we’re seeing this world through multiple layers of the confusion and signals that Dan’s character is getting. I think it would be a spoiler in a true sense to say. I really like the idea of making things that are unexpected and yet feel inevitable. I will say we are true to the origins of this character, and leave it at that.”

Will characters from the X-Men movies appear in Legion? “Probably not,” said executive producer Lauren Shuler Donner. Who oversees the X-Men franchise for Fox.

Jeph Loeb, an excutive producer for Marvel Television, added, “Wouldn’t that be great?”

Hawley offered a more in-depth answer, saying, “What I enjoyed with Fargo is, for the first three hours, it felt completely unconnected to the movie. We’ve got to earn the right to connect to the movie. I also know there are different waters to swim in. All I can do, all I can control, is the show.”

Lastly, Fox and Marvel Television seem to be working together more closely than ever before on Legion. That and some curious wording on Marvel’s part had some fans wondering if this could that mean there would be some interaction between Legion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

“X-Men characters live in the Fox world, and we live in a different world,” Loeb said. “The fact that I’m sitting here is an indication of bridges that are being made, and people like Lauren who are facilitating that and making that happen.”

Legion introduces the story of David Haller: Since he was a teenager, David has struggled with mental illness. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.

The first trailer for Legion debuted in July at Comic-Con International: San Diego. We’ve also speculated that Legion could potentially be the cure-all for the X-Men movies’ continuity woes.

Legion is scheduled to premiere on FX in early 2017.

[H/T] CBR