Key points:
- Marvel has unveiled the main cast of its new X-Men movie at D23.
- Sadie Sink will play Jean Grey, while Kit Connor will portray Cyclops.
- Christopher Abbott has been cast as Professor X, with Samara Weaving playing Emma Frost.
- Inde Navarrette will portray Rogue, while Maya Boyd will play Storm.
- Adam Driver has joined the film as the villain Mr Sinister.
- The new X-Men movie is scheduled to release on May 5, 2028.
- Jake Schreier, director of Thunderbolts, will direct the film.
NEW YORK – Marvel has finally unveiled the cast of its new X-Men movie, ending years of speculation surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s plans for the mutant superhero team.
The studio announced the cast during D23 on Friday night, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige appearing on stage alongside Sadie Sink and director Jake Schreier.
Sink will play Jean Grey, while Heartstopper star Kit Connor has been cast as Cyclops. Christopher Abbott will portray Professor X, Samara Weaving will play Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette will take on the role of Rogue and Maya Boyd will portray Storm.
Adam Driver will also join the cast as the villain Mr Sinister. Driver appeared in a video shown during the presentation and said he and Feige had discussed his involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years.
The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on May 5, 2028.
Marvel’s new X-Men cast
Several casting decisions had already been reported before the D23 announcement. Sink was the first major piece of the casting puzzle, with the actress set to make her MCU debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Connor’s casting as Cyclops and Weaving’s role as Emma Frost had also been reported previously. Abbott emerged as a leading contender for Professor X after reportedly testing for the role.
Navarrette, who gained wider attention with the summer breakout Obsession, will play Rogue. Boyd, meanwhile, joins the project after appearing on Broadway in & Juliet.
Abbott has appeared in a wide range of film and television projects, including Girls and Wolf Man. He was also nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Death of a Salesman.
Feige cautioned that the cast revealed at D23 is not the complete line-up, suggesting more mutant characters could be announced later.
Jake Schreier to direct X-Men
The new film will be directed by Jake Schreier, who previously helmed Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
Schreier and Sink joined Feige on stage during the D23 presentation to introduce the new members of the X-Men. Feige also noted that some members of the cast had only met each other backstage shortly before appearing together.
The announcement marks an important step in Marvel’s long-awaited plan to bring the X-Men fully into the MCU.
X-Men’s history with Marvel
The X-Men were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and made their comic-book debut in 1963. The original team included Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel and Iceman, with Professor X serving as its leader.
The characters became a major part of modern superhero cinema with the release of X-Men in 2000. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film helped establish the modern superhero movie era and turned Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine into one of the genre’s most recognisable characters.
Several stars from the earlier X-Men films are also returning to Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The cast includes Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler and Kelsey Grammer as Beast.
Channing Tatum, who played Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, is also part of the Doomsday cast.
The previous X-Men franchise was rebooted during the 2010s, with James McAvoy playing Professor X, Michael Fassbender portraying Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Beast.
Marvel’s new X-Men film will now introduce a new generation of mutants to the MCU, with more casting announcements expected as production moves forward.
