Filming of the new X-Men TV pilot is underway, and there's not a whole lot known about the project other than a basic logline and some cast members. The project, currently going by Gifted, will follow two parents who set out to find an underground mutant resistance after their children begin exhibiting mutant powers. Pretty basic X-Men stuff, but the pilot may be more ambitious than it appears. A casting call may have dropped a clue that Gifted won't just stay in the present, but will jump around to various time periods.
The Dallas Film Commission released a casting call for extras (or should I say X-tras) for the X-Men TV pilot that will be airing on Fox. It's a pretty average list, containing roles such as "Seedy Types at Bar," but one particular role has caught some attention. Legacy Casting is looking for "SS Guards," which presumably refers to the Schutzstaffel. The Schutzstaffel were a Nazi paramilitary force responsible for guarding the prison camps and enforcing Nazi rule during World War II. They aren't exactly around anymore, so what does this mean for Gifted?
There are a few options. The X-Men are hardly strangers to time travel, which was a major focus of the film X-Men: Days of Future Past. It's always possible that the pilot could be jumping through multiple timelines to tell one massive story. It's more likely, though, that the WWII scene is a flashback. WWII was the setting of the very first scene in any X-Men movie, with the villain Magneto having been imprisoned at a Nazi camp as a boy. Maybe not so coincidentally, Polaris -- Magneto's lesser known child -- has a role in the pilot, so it's likely this is the camp the show will be revisiting.
The Gifted pilot is being directed by Bryan Singer and follows two parents trying to protect their children after they manifest mutant abilities. The pilot stars Amy Acker, Stephen Moyer, Emma Dumont (as Polaris), Coby Bell, Sean Teale, and Jamie Chung as the mutant Blink. In addition to WWII, it is also rumored that the pilot will feature Sentinels, the classic mutant hunting robots from the comics. Supposedly, the show is connected to the cinematic universe -- as opposed to Legion -- and will feature some familiar faces. Other than that, not too much is known about the pilot or what a potential series would be about.
Gifted does not yet have a premiere date or a series order, so stay with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated with new information as it becomes available. In the meantime, check out our midseason and summer premiere guys to plan out your TV viewing schedule.
