In spite of a lawsuit from Fox (see 'Fox Sues Marvel Over Mutant X'), Tribune Entertainment, which licensed the property from Marvel, is forging ahead with production of the syndicated Mutant X television series.  The sets have been built and dressed, the casting is complete, and filming starts next Monday, June 4th in Toronto, Canada.  Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios is the executive producer, while two of the key figures behind the La Femme Nikita TV series--producer Jamie Paul Rock and production designer Rocco Matteo--will be performing the same functions for Mutant X.

 

Veteran comic writer (and artist) Howard Chaykin heads the writing staff, which also includes Mark Lisson (Viper, MacGyver), David Newman (Superman I, II, III) and Elizabeth Keyishian (Queen of Swords).  David Tischman (JLA, Son of Superman) will take care of the online writing chores.  The basic plot of Mutant X involves characters who resulted from super-secret genetic research during the 1960s that are now being hunted by the secret agency that created them.  But one mutant has created a safehouse, where others of his ilk can find refuge.  He is going to show them how to take advantage of their special abilities and forge them into a team that will allow them to control their own destiny (sound familiar? Fox thought so).  He is 'Adam Zero' and according to the Comics 2 Film website, he will be played by John Shea, who, as the dashing Lex Luthor, tormented both Lois & Clark in a previous television incarnation.

 

Although the market for syndicated television dramas is not nearly as robust as it was five years ago, Mutant X is already scheduled to air in every major U.S. market.  Tribune Entertainment has done an excellent job of creating interest in Mutant X, and the series itself could eventually provide retailers with some excellent merchandising opportunities.  Certainly the writing and production staffs that Tribune Entertainment has assembled hold out the hope that this series could be something special.