Marvel Studios' elusive X-Men reboot is finally coming together, with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier set to helm, and three (possibly four) actors now confirmed to have joined the cast.
Marvel is believed to have cast a wide net to assemble this next generation of mutant heroes, and is now "scrambling" to finalize the ensemble ahead of D23 next weekend.
We are expecting a full cast announcement during the event, but until then, rumors continue to swirl.
Below, you'll find a breakdown of every confirmed and rumored cast member. We've left out a few of the more hard-to-believe or obviously fake names that have surfaced, instead focusing on the actors who could realistically still be in contention for the remaining roles.
Confirmed: Sadie Sink as Jean Grey
We heard that Sink might be on Marvel's radar to play Jean a while before she joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (hat tip to Jeff Sneider), but most of us assumed that a wire got crossed along the way, and she must be playing a new take on Mary Jane Watson, Mayday Parker, or some other character more closely associated with the wall-crawler.
Well, the cat is well and truly out of the bag at this stage, and the Stranger Things alum will return as the powerful telepath, first for Avengers: Secret Wars, and then the X-Men reboot. Jean is believed to be the co-lead along with Cyclops, but this has not been confirmed.
Confirmed: Kit Connor as Cyclops
The most recent X-Men casting news revealed that Heartstopper star Kit Connor will play Scott Summers.
Connor had not previously been rumored, and is said to have landed the role when "a small group of actors tested after the Fourth of July holiday and after a lot of back and forth, Marvel landed on Connor as the choice to play Summers."
Apparently, both Drew Starkey and Cooper Hoffman were early contenders, but the runner-up just behind Connor was actually Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Sex Education).
Confirmed: Samara Weaving as Emma Frost
After being fan-cast as the character for years, Aussie Scream Queen Samara Weaving is set to portray Emma Frost in the X-Men reboot.
Superhero casting announcements don't always go over very well with comic book fans, but this news was met with almost universal approval.
Frost could be introduced as either a hero or a villain. While we don't expect Weaving's take on the character to be a member of the team (initially, at least), it seems highly unlikely that she'll be the film's primary antagonist.
Rumored: Adam Driver as ???
A lot of scoopers are confident that Adam Driver has actually been cast in the movie, but the announcement is being saved for D23.
We'll obviously have to wait and see on that front, but there seems to be just as much uncertainty surrounding the character he's attached to play.
We initially heard Magneto, then Mr. Sinister, and more recently, William Stryker. This would seem to indicate that the Star Wars sequel trilogy star will play a villain, but we have a feeling his character - assuming he has been cast, that is - may come as a surprise.
Rumored: Charles Melton as Beast
Another casting many believe to be a sure thing, pending an official announcement, is Charles Melton as Hank McCoy, aka Beast.
Melton's breakout role was Reggie Mantle in the CW's Riverdale, and his star has been on the rise following acclaimed performances in Beef Season 2 and 2023's May December. The actor, who is of Korean-American descent, is now 35, but can still get away with playing significantly younger.
Rumored: Cailee Spaeny as Rogue
This may have become the least likely rumor on the list, but the latest actress said to be in line to play Rogue is Melton's Beef Season 2 castmate and Alien: Romulus star Cailee Spaeny.
It sounds like Spaeny may have campaigned for a role in the movie, but we're still not sure Rogue will even make her debut in this first film. Odessa A'zion has also been mentioned in connection with this character.
Rumored: Inde Navarrette as ???
Another long shot, even though Navarrette has confirmed that she took a meeting with Schreier, and name-dropped Mystique as the character she'd be most interested in playing.
We'd say Navarrette could have her pick of roles after the massive success of Obsession, but that doesn't mean there was a part for her in this movie (like Rogue, we're not certain Raven Darkholme will even appear).
Rumored: ??? As Charles Xavier
This one is really more of a bonus mention, since we have heard that all previously rumored names - including Patrick Wilson, Bill Skarsgård, and Tom Pelphrey - either dropped out of the running or were never in it to begin with.
The most recent rumor claimed that Professor X has been cast, however, and there are whispers that the actor has already played a Marvel character.