Beau DeMayo, the showrunner and executive producer of the forthcoming animated series "X-Men '97" on Disney+, was fired before its March 20 premiere, Variety reported.
DeMayo finished his work on Seasons 1 and 2 of "X-Men '97" before leaving, the outlet noted. He won't attend the Hollywood premiere on March 13, and his Instagram account, where he had been sharing artwork and engaging with fans about "X-Men '97," was deleted.
DeMayo wrote and produced "X-Men '97," a follow-up to the popular "X-Men: The Animated Series" from the 1990s. The reason for his sudden departure from the project, just before its premiere, is unclear. However, it was confirmed that he won't be involved in promoting the show or in any future seasons.
Hired in November 2021, DeMayo coming on board the project generated excitement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A gay Black man who was the adopted son of white parents with a Korean sister in the South, he made it a point to note that he could relate to the X-Men characters and their struggles.
"Anyone who feels different, we all have a Magneto inside of us, and we all have a Charles Xavier," said DeMayo, who was among the kids who grew up watching the show. "We all have a part of us that wants to burn it all down, and there's a part of us who wants to find the compromise and build it up. And those comics really helped me understand my identity."
DeMayo has also contributed to other Marvel and Disney+ projects, such as "Moon Knight," featuring Oscar Isaac, and the upcoming movie "Blade," starring Mahershala Ali. His work extends to "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," Netflix's live-action series "The Witcher" with Henry Cavill, the animated film "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf," and two animated shorts for "League of Legends": "Absolution" and "Before Dawn."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.