To me, my X-Men!
We may have just gotten our first piece of X-Men casting as Jeff Sneider (via The Hot Mic podcast and his The InSneider newsletter) is reporting that Sadie Sink (Stranger Things; The Whale) is the current frontrunner to land the highly coveted role of Jean Grey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with her possibly set to debut in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday.
Sneider stresses that it's still early in the process, so things could always change as casting ramps up for Doomsday and/or Secret Wars, but he's very confident in his source, so this could absolutely be our first glimpse at what Kevin Feige and company are cooking for their X-Men movie, and it looks like they're going younger for some of the key players.
While unconfirmed, it's likely The Russo Brothers are involved with this casting and they do have a pretty solid track record when it comes to finding exciting new talent, having previously played a part in casting Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
Sneider also believes Marvel Studios may be eyeing a Late 2027 release for X-Men, presumably placing the film in that November 5, 2027 date the studio has already booked. This would place the film's launch just six months after Avengers: Secret Wars is slated to hit theaters, so, if his report proves to be accurate, it seems as though Marvel Studios is keen on launching the Mutant Saga much sooner rather than later.
No director is attached to X-Men just yet, but it's probably not a stretch to expect news on that front in the not-so-distant future.
If the 22-year-old Sink does appear in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars, she'll join a cast featuring Robert Downey, Jr. (Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom), Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Nomad), Benedict Cumberbatch (Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter), Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/Thing), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent), and David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian).
While plot details remain scarce, the film will see Earth's Mightiest Heroes square off against the notorious Doctor Doom, and will ultimately set the stage for 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars.
Sink is, of course, best known for her role as Maxine Mayfield in Netflix's Stranger Things, but her recent credits also include A Sacrifice, Dear Zoe, The Whale, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, Eli, The Glass Castle, and Chuck.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026; with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled for May 7, 2027.