The Original ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ Actors Still Had to Audition For Their ‘X-Men ’97’ Roles
When Brad Winderbaum pitched the idea of reviving X-Men: The Animated Series, Kevin Feige had two stipulations before he would approve the new project- he wanted the original voice cast back and we wanted the show’s iconic theme song.
Despite the fact that Marvel launched the project with the original voice cast in mind, the stars of X-Men: The Animated Series have revealed that they still had to audition for their old roles.
In an exclusive roundtable with IGN, Cal Dodd and Lenore Zann, who portray Wolverine and Rouge in both the original series and X-Men ’97, discussed their audition processes for the new show.
Zann’s Audition to Return as Rouge
Zann’s path to reprising her iconic role as Rouge began when she got a mysterious email.
“Disney’s gonna be doing some new show. They’re not really saying what it is, but they’re trying to find you. And I know how to get you, so can I give your number to them?” the mysterious communication read.
Zann agreed and then heard from casting director Meredith Layne, who did not reveal what the show was but sent over lines to leave.
“They were the lines from the original show,” Zann said. “And I was like, ‘oh! It’s Rogue! I’ll just do Rogue.’ And so I did it, and sent it off. And about a month later, three weeks later, I got a call saying, ‘yeah, the producers want to meet with you on Zoom,'” she explained.
“So then we went on Zoom, and they got me to read with Meredith on Zoom, and then at the end of it they were like, ‘oh my god, Lenore, we just love you. Would you please be in the show? Because we really want you in the show.’ I was like, ‘absolutely! You got me.’ ”
Dodd Had a Similar Experience
Dodd’s experience was similar to Zahn’s. He even read lines from the episode Cold Vengeance from the original X-Men: The Animated Series.
“The scene that they picked [for the audition] was so obscure,” Dodd explained. “…’What do you mean? He doesn’t yell at anyone here, or scream or be ignorant or be funny, underhanded funny?'”
While the interviews may have been formal, it is interesting to see how extensive Marvel’s casting process was. In the end, however, part of the magic of X-Men ’97 is hearing the original voice actors return.
Based on the early success of the new animated series, it looks like Marvel made the right decision.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!