As the rumor mill continues to swirl for Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men reboot, the latest update comes to us from a more reliable source than an anonymous scooper as journalist Jeff Sneider (via The InSneider newsletter) is now reporting that Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; The Gray Man; The Fabelmans) is being eyed for the role of Kitty Pryde in X-Men.
He also doubles down on his previous report that Sadie Sink (Stranger Things; The Whale; The Glass Castle) is the current frontrunner to land the role of Jean Grey, and adds that Harris Dickinson (Babygirl; The Iron Claw; The King's Man) is being looked to play the team's leader Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops.
At the time of this posting, Butters is 15, Sink is 22, and Dickinson is 28, so Marvel definitely wants younger talent to take on these storied roles and likely play them for the next decade plus.
Additionally, he reports that X-Men is expected to start filming in 2026, with Marvel Studios planning for a Late 2027 release, likely slotting the eagerly awaited MCU entry for that already reserved November 5, 2027 release date, although there's always a possibility it could be moved up to the July 23, 2027 date.
The Russo Brothers, who are directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, are believed to be heavily involved in the X-Men casting process as these characters are likely to appear in, at least, one of their two upcoming Avengers titles. The directing duo does have a pretty stellar track record in finding iconic Marvel stars, having previously played a part in casting both Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War.
No director is attached to X-Men just yet, but Sneider hints that major MCU updates - including a director reveal - could come as soon as CinemaCon this Spring, although nothing is confirmed just yet.
The cast of Avengers: Doomsday is slated to feature 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.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026; with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled for May 7, 2027.