X-Men: Kitty Pryde Movie Still in Development, According to Brian Michael Bendis

Comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis claims the Kitty Pryde Spinoff X-Men film is still in development.

Revealed through Twitter in response to a fan question about the status of the film in the midst of the Disney/Fox merger, Bendis says that he is currently working on the film.

This revelation may come as a surprise to fans. Disney’s acquisition of Fox (which has developed every film in the franchise since the 2000 original) is set to close sometime before June 2019, and Marvel is set to take control of the X-Men film franchise. In fact, MCU head Kevin Feige claimed late last year that Disney could start developing movies for Fox-owned superheroes within six months.

A Kitty Pryde solo film was announced in January 2018, with Deadpool director Tim Miller helming the film and Bendis writing the script. The reference in Bendis’ tweet about the Fortress of Solitude is in regards to his gig at DC Comics, where he has taken control of the Superman franchise. Bendis began this exclusive position after he left his 18-year tenure at Marvel.

Kitty Pryde (sometimes referred to as Shadowcat, Sprite, or Ariel) has been around since the first X-Men film, but has most recently been portrayed by Ellen Page in X-Men: The Last Stand and Days of Future Past. She’s best known for her abilities to phase through objects, and has become a fan-favorite character.

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.