The Big Picture

• Michael Lesslie in talks for potential X-Men film under Marvel Studios.
• Lesslie is known for his work on the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
• Deadpool & Wolverine collaboration is set for this July, with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman returning.

Ever since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, one of the properties that everyone has been waiting to hear about is a potentially new X-Men film from Marvel Studios. While development remains slim, a key piece of the puzzle seems to have been found, as Deadline has reported that Michael Lesslie, the writer behind The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is in talks to pen the screenplay for the film. While no director or actors are attached yet, the addition of a writer means that work on the project will likely continue to heat up.

While details remain slim, Deadline reported that Marvel has been hard at work on filling out talent for the X-Men film - and it's easy to see why. The recent success of the animated Disney+ series X-Men '97 has shown that Wolverine, Professor X, and the rest of the mutant superhero team remain as popular as ever. The series produced some of the best ratings ever for a Disney+ series, building on the nostalgia of the original X-Men animated series from the 1990s, and additional seasons are already in the works. The X-Men film will be produced by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who typically plays an integral role in the production of the studio's projects.

However, while the X-Men film will bring the team in a new direction, this isn't the first time that X-Men characters will be seen in a Marvel film, as some of the characters have popped up in the MCU since Disney bought 20th Century in 2019: Patrick Stewart reprised his iconic role of Professor X for a cameo in the 2022 film Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman will be reprising his own iconic role of Wolverine in the upcoming Deapool & Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds. It remains to be seen how the MCU is able to integrate new characters from the X-Men group into existing storylines.

Lesslie Is Best Known for 'The Hunger Games'

Lesslie's most prominent work is certainly the aforementioned The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a script he co-wrote with Michael Arndt. Beyond this, though, Lesslie has experience in action writing, as he previously wrote the script for 20th Century's live-action adaptation of Assassin's Creed in 2016. So while he may be relatively new to franchise films, Lesslie is no stranger to tentpole projects, and while Assassin's Creed may have faltered at the box office, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes grossed more than $330 million worldwide.

Next, Lesslie will be penning the screenplay for the highly anticipated Now You See Me 3, the next installment in the magic-heist franchise that last graced screens in 2016. The star of the first two films, Jesse Eisenberg, told Collider that he hopes to begin shooting the upcoming sequel sometime this year.

There is currently no additional information on the upcoming project. Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters this July.

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