The creator of X-Men ’97 has been fired by Disney just ahead of the animated show’s premiere.
Beau DeMayo, the creator of the revival series X-Men ’97, has reportedly been fired by Disney.
Per THR, Beau DeMayo was fired from his involvement with X-Men ’97 just weeks ahead of the series premiering on Disney+. The news follows DeMayo completing his writing work on Season 2 of the show, which serves as a revival of X-Men: The Animated Series. Reportedly, DeMayo was discussing different ideas for where to go in a potential third season when his dismissal happened, suggesting he was blindsided by the news. DeMayo had also been involved with other Marvel projects, as he’d worked on the Disney+ series Moon Knight, as well as the upcoming Blade reboot.
As of now, no reason has been revealed for why DeMayo was fired. Reportedly, DeMayo did not respond to requests to comment, while Marvel offered no comment on the news. What’s known is that the two sides parted ways early last week, and the cast and crew of X-Men ’97 were informed that DeMayo would not be returning. DeMayo had apparently been planning to attend the Hollywood premiere of the series on March 13, but in light of his dismissal, he will no longer be present, nor will he be participating in any more interviews to promote the show.
Beau DeMayo Had Big Plans for the Series
DeMayo was hired to work on the series in November 2021. Of the vision he had for the revival, he later told Entertainment Weekly, “When I first came to this, I was thinking about what the world of the ’90s was like, even issues of social acceptance and what does it mean to be different? It was so much more simplistic than it is today. [The X-Men] spent years telling humanity to embrace the future, walk into the future together. What happens when they get hit with a future they didn’t see coming? What does it feel like to be on the other end when you feel like that future is leaving you behind?”
X-Men ’97 is a direct continuation of the original animated series from the 1990s. Its voice cast includes Ray Chase (Cyclops), Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Cal Dodd (Wolverine), J.P. Karliak (Morph), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), A.J. LoCascio (Gambit), Holly Chou (Jubilee)Matthew Waterson (Magneto), Isaac Robinson-Smith (Bishop), and Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler).
X-Men ’97’s freshman season will consist of ten episodes. Season 1 will premiere on March 20 with its first two episodes, and new episodes will be released weekly until the finale on May 15. A second season is currently in development.