Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot is quickly taking shape before filming begins next year, and yesterday's Wolverine rumour has kicked the hornet's nest and unleashed all manner of intriguing claims.
While Jeremy Allen White has reportedly met with Marvel Studios to discuss unsheathing Logan's claws, insider @MyTimeToShineH claims The Mandalorian and Grogu star "isn't the only one in talks." In fact, "Another big name just met with Marvel about Wolverine," meaning the hunt is still on for Hugh Jackman's successor.
Over to scooper James Mack now, and he's been sharing some wild rumours on social media over the past 24 hours. He's reporting that Euphoria star Hunter Schafer has had "serious talks" about playing the MCU's Mystique, while casting for Nightcrawler and The Juggernaut is also underway. Mack is also backing up recent rumours that Onslaught star Drew Starkey is set to play the new Gambit.
While the movie is beginning to look a little crowded, many of these characters will likely only have minor roles in X-Men, and it's surely important to make sure Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is populated with mutants. X-Men '97 has done a good job of handling a large ensemble, and a revolving door of heroes on the main team is part of the appeal of this franchise.
The Juggernaut is particularly interesting, especially as he's Professor X's stepbrother. If theories that the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the Hellfire Club are set to appear in X-Men, that may explains plans for Cain Marko.
X-Men director Jake Schreier has called the reboot "an incredible opportunity and a huge responsibility that I don’t take lightly," and teased his approach by saying, "That’s kind of the fun of just going back and rereading so much of it is just, like watching the cartoon growing up and like, it really does get into the ideological stuff a lot, and that’s such an endemic part of what 'X-Men' is about."
"But when you go and read those early runs, it’s good to remember how much of it is this kind of young soap opera as well. And much of the kind of division within the team often starts from personal rifts and things that are going on," he continued. "And so like just trying to make sure that it has all of the qualities of what makes 'X-Men' so incredible and what it is, you know?"
Directed by Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*), the untitled X-Men movie stars Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as Scott Summers, Sadie Sink (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) as Jean Grey, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) as Rogue, Asa Germann (Gen V) as Angel, Ben Wang (The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping), Maya Boyd (& Juliet) as Storm, and Christopher Abbott (Catch-22) as Professor Charles Xavier.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) also stars as Emma Frost, alongside Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), who plays Nathaniel Milbury, an alias of Mister Sinister in the comics. There are also rumours that Marvel Studios will introduce Apocalypse as the next Saga's big bad.
X-Men will be released exclusively in theaters May 5, 2028.