Marvel Studios may know a thing or two about tickling our nostalgia bones — Spider-Man: No Way Home is a prime example of that — but we’d wager we haven’t quite seen the peak of those powers yet; reason being that we’re still waiting on X-Men ’97 to drop, and nothing screams nostalgia quite like launching a soft reboot of the beloved ’90s cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series.
And if longtime X-Men fans are having trouble containing their excitement, one can only imagine how starry-eyed the voice talent is feeling about the project, especially considering that, for some, such as Lenore Zann, this isn’t their first rodeo.
Indeed, Zann — who voiced fan-favorite hero Rogue in the original animated series — will be reprising the role of the iconic, energy-sucking Southern belle in the revival, and she couldn’t stop gushing about the development of X-Men ’97 in a recent interview with Toonado.
“It’s been an amazing experience – the Marvel and Disney folks have been enthusiastic and supportive, and I just love working with them. I enjoyed working with the creative team we had with Fox Kids back in the ’90s and I’m enjoying every moment working on this show as well. Rogue is a part of me and I am part of her. We have similar characteristics and I totally get her.”
And Zann is just one of many returning voice actors from the original animated series, which also includes Cal Dodd (Wolverine), George Buza (Beast), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), and Christopher Britton (Mister Sinister). Other animated series veterans such as Catherine Disher (original voice of Jean Grey), Chris Potter (original voice of Gambit), and Alyson Court (original voice of Jubilee) also return, albeit in different roles.
Indeed, it seems like X-Men ’97 will feel like stepping back into the happiest parts of childhood for everyone involved, and we can’t wait to see what showrunner Beau DeMayo and company have in store for Marvel Studios’ first dive into the X-Men.
X-Men ’97 will release to Disney Plus and consist of 10 episodes. While a release date isn’t yet confirmed, a second season is already in development.