X-Men '97 Director Addresses Increased Adult Themes

X-Men '97 director Jake Castorena talks about violence and Disney+.

By Aaron Perine

X-Men '97's director talked about how the streaming series gave the creative team more freedom. Discussing Film interviewed Jake Castorena about the smash-hit Disney+ show. In their discussion, the filmmaker talked about the increased violence and some suggestive situations present in X-Men '97. Anyone who has watched the series noted some more adult framing for certian challenges the mutants faced. However, the director argues that those themes carry through from X-Men: The Animated Series. In addition, being on Disney+, rather than broadcast TV, allowed them some freedom to press the envelope a bit. Castorena explained, "Having those parameters and freedom is great, knowing if we need to make more time or shorten the time for a moment to work. Like you said, we can show violence and not have to shy away from it as well."

"But with that said, and what I appreciate about our crew and what we did, we have to give ourselves false parameters in every aspect," Castorena detailed. "We would love to put all these bells and whistles on the show's style, but that's a little too advanced for what the original series probably would have had. So we ask, 'Can we do this in a way they would have had to tackle it back then?'"

"For example, we have a way that we're working on water right now," the director added. "One of our vendors gave us an effects pass, and it was like, 'Oh, that's too clean. To do a painted card and then a two-frame cycle, that's just too advanced.' Then, we tried a low-tech approach, and it was like, 'Wow, this really works.' These kinds of false parameters only helped us to better achieve the feeling of the original show."

X-Men '97 Enters The Wait For Season 2

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(Photo:

Marvel got spicy with X-Men '97.

- Marvel Entertainment)

X-Men '97 has been a cause for celebration on the Internet. Social media has been steadily buzzing since that massive finale. But, now the wait for Season 2 begins. ComicBook also interviewed Jake Castorena about the future for the world's favorite mutants. He gave us an update on how Season 2 is going and it's already begun for anyone worried out there. That's all great to hear, but 2024 doesn't seem like it's going to see X-Men '97 Season 2. So, keep yourselves occupied with Deadpool & Wolverine in the meantime.

"I equate it like, 'We're baking a cake right now.' Nobody wants to ruin a cake. I don't want to ruin a cake. Let us bake it," Castorena laughed with us. "The cake is well underway and being made, being fabricated as we speak. There is no rest for the wicked I guess. To use that phrase. We rolled right into Season 2, while we were on Season 1!"

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Later on in our conversation, the filmmaker lauded X-Men: The Animated Series for building their foundation to tell these stories now. "It's all about, we're on a team. It's something we realize that we give ourselves false parameters to make sure we're checking our math," Castorena added. "Whether it's nerd math, geographical math, whatever it is. We gave ourselves false parameters to make sure to keep us in check, to make sure we're not going too far away from the original DNA that is the OG show. But, also adapting it. Fresh, but familiar."

Did you love the slightly more adult tone of X-Men '97? Check out the wild moments down below!

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