The X-Men casting rumors continue to swirl, and this latest report is sure to get a lot of attention.
According to The Hot Mic's Jeff Sneider, The Substance star Margaret Qualley is being eyed for the role of Rogue (we have no idea if she's being seriously considered, or is just a person of interest).
Rogue, real name Anna Marie, is easily one of the most popular members of the team, and fans have been hoping to see a comic-accurate take on the sassy Southern belle in live-action for many years. Anna Paquin played a younger version of the character in 20th Century Fox's X-Men movies, but she didn't really have much in common with her comic book counterpart.
Qualley's acclaimed turn in The Substance has made her a hot commodity in Hollywood, so it was probably only a matter of time before a major superhero franchise came calling.
Though we're still waiting on an official announcement, Marvel does seem to be making moves on this project behind-the-scenes. No director is attached (that we know of), but the amount of casting rumors from various reliable sources doing the rounds would seem to indicate that the studio is quietly assembling its new line-up.
Previous rumors have claimed that Harris Dickinson (Babygirl, The Iron Claw, Triangle of Sadness) and Jack Champion (Avatar, Scream 6) are being eyed to play Cyclops, with Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink a likely pick for Jean Grey. We've also heard that The Bear's Ayo Edebiri and DeWanda Wise are on the studio's radar to play Storm. Kitty Pryde and Gambit (but will it be Channing Tatum?) are also expected to be on the team.
More recently, Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo, Euphoria) has been rumored to be up for Mystique, and Julia Butters (The Gray Man, The Fablemans) is said to be in talks to play Pryde.
Last week, we reported on a slightly more out-there rumor that Denzel Washington might be set to play the villain - possibly Magneto.
Michael Lesslie is currently working on the script.
If some of the X-Men make their debut in the next Avengers movies (which they are rumored to do), there's a chance we could get some official casting news fairly soon.
As for when we might finally see this long-awaited X-Men reboot, Sneider's co-host Rocha believes that the "big unspoken secret in Hollywood" is that the movie will release 2-3 months after Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. Sneider agrees that the film will likely hit theaters that year, but feels it will be more like 5-6 months after Secret Wars.