Well, even the strongest may not have survived X-Men: Apocalypse’s meager opening weekend, but Marvel’s mutants will officially have a whole new proving ground on TV. FX has picked up Noah Hawley’s Legion for its first season, debuting a first look at Dan Stevens in the title role.

Following Fargo creator Noah Hawley’s recent update on the series, FX has officially granted an eight-episode order to Legion, with an eye to premiere in early 2017. In addition to Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza and Jean Smart, the series features Jeremie Harris, Amber Midthunder, Katie Aselton and Bill Irwin. Check out the first photo:

 

FX Legion First Photo
Chris Large / FX
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Says FX:

We’ve come to expect excellence from Noah Hawley and with Legion he has delivered another major creative achievement. Just as he did in re-imagining Fargo, he is bringing an entirely new aesthetic and sensibility to the enormously popular and richly represented X-Men world. The pilot episode is stunning, driven by incredible performances from Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza, Jean Smart, Rachel Keller and the rest of the cast. We join our producing partners at Marvel in congratulating the creative team for what they’ve accomplished and are as excited as the fans for the premiere of Legion’s first season.

For those unaware, Legion follows the story of David Haller, a young mutant struggling with schizophrenia and psychiatric incarceration, who soon learns from a fellow patient that his voices and visions may in fact be real. Created for the New Mutants in 1985, the character is also noted as the son of Professor Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller.

Downton Abbey alum Dan Stevens will play David as a haunted man, trying to find his way back to sanity, but tired and about to give up until he meets the girl of his dreams. Aubrey Plaza, meanwhile, will play David’s alcoholic, drug-abusing friend Lenny, who “knows that any day now her life is going to turn around — which gives Lenny the likeable energy of the impossible optimist despite her rough demeanor.”

Fargo alum Jean Smart will play Melanie, “a nurturing, demanding therapist with a sharp mind and unconventional methods,” joining fellow Hawley favorite Rachel Keller as “Syd,” described as “Self-sufficient and street smart.” Syd uses her sharp and prickly demeanor to protect her soft core, because even though it makes her a sucker and puts her at risk, she still believes in happily ever after.

FX also specified the series was likely to feature all-new characters from the X-Men universe, independent of the movies’ continuity. Fargo showrunner Hawley wrote the pilot and serve as an executive producer alongside Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg and Marvel’s Jeph Loeb.

We’ll keep up to speed on the latest details, but what do we make of the first look?

 

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