X-Men show 'Legion' ordered to series at FX

On the heels of this weekend’s opening of X-Men: Apocalypse, the mutant universe just got a little bigger: FX has officially given Noah Hawley’s Legion a greenlight to series.

The eight-episode first season, starring Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza, and Jean Smart, focuses on David Haller (Stevens), a young man who was diagnosed as schizophrenic and struggled with perceived mental illness for years. But as David begins to realize, his abilities — which include seeing visions and hearing voices — might come from something else (hint: it rhymes with snutant). In the comic book version, Haller is the son of X-Men leader Charles Xavier, who’s telepathic.

“Marvel Television is thrilled to not only have our first partnership with FX go to series, but working with the enormously talented Noah Hawley makes it even better,” executive producer Jeph Loeb. “From the first time we heard Noah’s vision to his exceptional script and cast through the extraordinary filming of the pilot, we knew the series would be incredible.”

Hawley, who created FX’s critically acclaimed Fargo, will executive produce along with long time X-Men film team Lauren Schuler Donner, Bryan Singer, and Simon Kinberg. In addition to Stevens, Plaza, and Smart, the cast also includes Katie Aselton (The League) and Bill Irwin (Interstellar).

Legion begins shooting this summer and will air in early 2017.