New Professor X actor Christopher Abbott is sharing his excitement about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and revealing whether a script for the MCU's first X-Men film already exists.
The first X-Men movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was initially teased by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on July 20, 2019, during the San Diego Comic-Con panel, and the core cast was officially unveiled on August 14, 2026, during Marvel Studios' Disney Entertainment Showcase at the D23 Expo.
The MCU's reboot is being directed by Jake Schreier. He previously directed the MCU film Thunderbolts*.
Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and The Bear co-showrunner Joanna Calo have taken over writing duties for the current draft. They stepped in to replace Michael Lesslie (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), who wrote the script's original version.
The film currently has a concrete release date of May 5, 2028.
So, does a script for the highly anticipated film already exist?
Entertainment Tonight caught up with Abbot at the premiere of East of Eden where he stated that he's "very much" looking forward to the X-Men's MCU debut.
He added, "I haven't read anything...nothing, I'm not even being coy, I haven't read anything. But I'm excited to work with Jake Schreier, I think he's a great director and that cast is really, really good. I can't wait, I love X-Men."
X-Men heavyweights like Storm (Maya Boyd) and Rogue (Inde Navarrette) are set to appear alongside some of the orignal team members like Cyclops (Kit Connor), Marvel Girl/Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) and Angel (Asa German).
Rumor scoopers are certain that the remaining members from the original 5 are also going to be cast soon, specifically Beast and Iceman. Furthermore, Marvel Studios is said to be looking to further differentiate its film from the X-Men films that came before by keeping Beast in his human look- meaning no blue fur; he'll just have the oversized hands and feet.
Charles Melton was heavily rumored to be up for the role of Beast in the upcoming X-Men film, but it now seems as if he may have chosen the role of Kakashi in Daniel Destin Cretton's upcoming live-action Naruto movie.
Other names that have surfaced previously for Hank McCoy include Percy Jackson star Logan Lerman and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Peter Claffey.
For Iceman, names that have surfaced include Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Connor Storrie (Heated Rivalry).
Set for release after Avengers: Secret Wars, the film will kick off Phase 7 of the MCU. Other films in this phase include Ghost Rider (July 28, 2028) and Black Panther III (December 15, 2028).