The man behind the Thunderbolts may be switching from the New Avengers to some even newer mutants. Thunderbolts*director Jake Schreier is reportedly in talks to helm the upcoming X-Men film for Disney and Marvel Studios, according to Deadline. While nothing is set in stone, this would be another feather in the cap for a director whose most recent MCU film has garnered high praise.

Details about the process remain unclear. However, Schreier has reportedly been one of the top choices to helm the upcoming X-Men film, according to Deadline, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reportedly working hard to find the perfect fit. It’s unsurprising, then, that he would land on Schreier, given how well Thunderbolts* has been received following a string of less-than-stellar MCU films. But nothing is set in stone yet.

The X-Men film, which has been rumored for a while, seems to be a perfect fit for Schreier, who has shown that he can develop a film with an ensemble cast. Thunderbolts*, which has been largely rebranded to The New Avengers after the crackpot team of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and others are brought in to take over the Avengers mantle, has garnered critical acclaim and currently has a 94% audience score and 88% critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes.

An X-Men Reboot Has Been Long Awaited

This marks a significant stepping stone for an X-Men movie, which has been rumored to be in the works ever since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox in 2019, handing Marvel Studios the rights to the X-Men franchise. No casting has ever gotten off the ground, but a big leap forward happened last year when it was announced that writer Michael Lesslie was in talks to pen an X-Men script, with Feige producing for Marvel. Now that the film has a reported director attached, it may only be a matter of time before we find out more information. It was also recently reported that Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds is developing a Deadpool/X-Men crossover film, though details on that front remain slim too.

If Schreier does end up getting the job, the X-Men film, along with Thunderbolts*, would easily represent his biggest projects yet. The California native is also known for directing the romcom film Paper Towns, a 2015 film based on the book of the same name by John Green. He has also directed some notable TV sagas, including episodes of the anthology series Beef and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. But with his big MCU leap with Thunderbolts*, along with his next potential outing with X-Men, Schreier looks primed to become one of Marvel Studio‘s favorite directors.

No release window for the X-Men film has been announced. Thunderbolts* is in theaters now.

via Collider