Yesterday, Legion showrunner Noah Hawley wowed Marvel fans by announcing that he was working on a Doctor Doom solo movie for 20th Century Fox. Now, it looks like he’s bringing his Legion leading man with him for the project.
Bleeding Cool were in attendance at the show’s panel and are reporting that Dan Stevens is involved with the film in some form. Marvel fans will already known Stevens as Professor X’s son David Haller in the psychological superhero series – which is set in the X-Men universe – and to date, he’s been a big hit in the role, earning acclaim from viewers and critics alike.
The obvious suggestion here is that Stevens may take the lead role as the metal-masked Victor Von Doom. This would actually be a great casting choice, as not only is he a talented individual whose star is on the rise, but he’s recently proven he can act with his face obscured in Disney’s smash-hit Beauty and the Beast. At the very least, he can’t be any worse than the versions played by Julian McMahon and Toby Kebbel, right?
Of course, we could be on the wrong track entirely. To reiterate the original story, Noah Hawley announced to the crowd: “I’m developing a film for Fox and I’ll Just say two words. Doctor. Doom.” We’ve all taken this to mean he’s working on a Doom solo film, but Hawley could be implying that he’s helming a new Fantastic Four reboot which will feature Doom prominently.
In related news, the Legion panel also gave us another juicy tidbit to ponder. Producer Lauren Donner confirmed that the show “can’t ever” crossover with the X-Men movie universe and that it “must be its own thing.” It’s unknown if this is something Noah Hawley and his team have decided upon as a storytelling limitation or whether any crossover is prohibited due to complicated contractual issues. The show is the fruit of a unique co-production deal between Fox and Marvel Studios, after all.
Legion returns in 2018 for its second season. As well as Stevens, Aubrey Plaza, Rachel Keller, Jermaine Clement and the rest of the existing cast, Wonder Woman‘s Said Taghmaoui will join as the malevolent Shadow King.