Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ universe expanding on TV with ‘Legion’

The Marvel Universe continued its incursion into television on Tuesday as FX Networks announced it picked up a season order for “Legion,” a new drama co-produced by the superhero juggernaut.

Led by former “Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens and adapted by “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley, the “X-Men” spinoff centers on a young man who in addition to mental illness may have special powers. Signed for an eight-episode run slated to begin production in Vancouver, Canada, this summer, “Legion” also features two veterans from the second season of “Fargo” in Rachel Keller and Jean Smart along with castmates Aubrey Plaza, Katie Aselton and Bill Irwin. The series will open in 2017.

“We’ve come to expect excellence from Noah Hawley and with ‘Legion’ he has delivered another major creative achievement,” FX’s Nick Grad said in a statement. “Just as he did in reimagining ‘Fargo,’ he is bringing an entirely new aesthetic and sensibility to the enormously popular and richly represented X-Men world.”

The series will join a growing number of Marvel titles to shift to the small screen that includes ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” as well as a small suite of series already available or planned for Netflix, including “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage.” Another Marvel series, “Agent Carter,” was canceled by ABC this year after two seasons.

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