UPDATE: The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez has chimed in, claiming that Moira MacTaggert is next to be cast and hinting that Gambit and Beast (or potentially Nightcrawler) will follow. With that, beyond some supporting players, we may have the complete X-Men cast.
Deadline has learned that The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping star Ben Wang is in talks to play the MCU's Iceman in Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men reboot.
There have been social media rumblings for a while about an Asian actor being cast as Bobby Drake, and Wang comes to the movie with a long list of credits to his name. As well as playing District 12 tribute Wyatt Callow in the next Hunger Games movie, he's also appeared in The Long Walk, Karate Kid: Legends, and American Born Chinese.
Wang also appeared in 2024's Mean Girls reboot and has signed up to appear in the sixth and final season of Apple TV's For All Mankind. Shawn Ashmore played Iceman in 20th Century Fox's X-Men movies.
According to The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit, Gabriel LaBelle (The Fablemans), Jackson Kelly (The Pitt), and Rhenzy Feliz (The Penguin) were all in the running before the role went to Wang. Feliz played Victor Aguilar in HBO's The Batman spin-off and also starred in Marvel Television's Runaways.
Robert "Bobby" Drake, better known as Iceman, is one of the original founding members of Marvel's X-Men, and first appeared in The X-Men #1 in 1963. A mutant with the ability to manipulate cold and moisture, he can generate ice, freeze opponents and transform his entire body into living ice.
Initially regarded as the youngest and most light-hearted member of the team, Bobby eventually discovered his powers were far greater than he imagined. He is classified as an Omega-level mutant and, in more recent years, has come out as gay.
Crucially, this casting means that X-Men has now cast four of the "Original Five" members of the mutant team. Iceman will now head into battle alongside Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Angel. What of Beast? Well, even though the trades haven't reported on his involvement, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star Peter Claffey is said to be the frontrunner to play Hank McCoy.
With Storm and Rogue also in the mix, it feels like Chris Claremont's work will indeed be key in reimagining the X-Men for the MCU.
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, 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.