We are starting to get more and more information about this previously untitled X-men pilot which we now know is going to be called Gifted …. yup GIFTED. The name was revealed by showrunner/producer Lauren Shuler Donner that Matt Nix will executive produce and be directed by Bryan Singer.It has also made another official casting announcement and that it will mean a classic X-men character coming to tv.
Last month, it was announced that Blair Redford, best known for Switched At Birth, was cast as “Sam, the strong-headed Native American leader of the underground network.” However, it appears that was just a bit of misdirection as a social media post from Gifted co-star Natalie Alyn Lind shows that Blair is playing Thunderbird, better known as John Proudstar.
Now lets let it be known that there have been two other X-Men characters to use the code name, including John’s brother, James Proudstar – who also went by Warpath for a time. The other user of the code name is Neal Shaara, an Indian with pyrokinetic abilities so it’s highly unlikely this is the version of Thunderbird that Redford is playing.
So now with this reveal, Thunderbird will joins Polaris, Blink, and Sentinels as classic X-Men elements and characters that will appear on the show.
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