
Marvel’s long run of live-action X-Men films, a partnership with 20th Century Fox, concluded in 2020, following the Disney merger. While many believe the story began with the 1999 film X-Men, the initial efforts actually started in 1996 when director Bryan Singer signed on to adapt a project that had been in the works for some time. Before that, in 1994, the comic book Generation X became a surprising success, introducing a new group of young mutant characters and expanding the X-Men universe. Marvel was very careful with anything officially labeled “X-Men,” but they were more flexible with Generation X. Fox quickly developed, filmed, and released Generation X as a television series, hoping it might lead to a film franchise. Although that didn’t happen, it was likely for the best. Generation X remains an important piece of Marvel’s rise to prominence, and the shared filming location of Hatley Castle connects it to the later X-Men films.