Thanks to legions of so-called "scoopers," the internet is a minefield of misinformation at the moment. While some insiders do have access to accurate info on upcoming projects, a lot of people - and websites - either don't know (or don't care about) the difference, and even the most blatant bull*shit can often spread under the guise of a rumor.
Such was the case a few days ago when a random Twitter user claimed that The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey has been cast as Kitty Pryde in the planned MCU X-Men reboot, linking Variety as the source even though the trade's report mentions nothing of the sort.
Even so, the "rumor" gained some traction after the usual suspects ran with it, prompting Bailey to respond.
Is Bailey just trying to throw us off the scent?? Eh, no. While we're sure she'd do a fine job as the fan-favorite mutant hero, the fact that any supposed X-Men casting news is picked up when the project hasn't even been announced is baffling.
A rumor recently did the rounds which claimed that contractual issues are preventing Marvel Studios from introducing new actors as established mutant characters such as Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, etc to The MCU, and they may not be able to move forward with a reboot until 2025. If accurate, we shouldn't expect to hear any official word on cast, director, etc for quite some time.
Fans are hoping for an announcement at Disney's D23 next month, so, depending on what we learn during the expo, we should have a better idea of where things stand with The X-Men in The MCU fairly soon.