X-Men casting rumours have dominated the news cycle this week, lending some weight to theories that Marvel Studios might have an announcement planned for next weekend's San Diego Comic-Con.
With Adam Driver, Bill Skarsgård, and Cooper Hoffman all supposedly in the mix to play Magneto/Mister Sinister/William Stryker, Professor X, and Cyclops, @MyTimeToShineH is today reporting that Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus) has emerged as Marvel Studios and filmmaker Jake Schreier's top choice to play Rogue.
Odessa A'zion, Margaret Qualley, and Inde Navarrette have all been mentioned before now, but as we're sure you'll remember from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, filling these roles often means going through many potential candidates.
Spaeny first gained attention for her work in Pacific Rim Uprising and Bad Times at the El Royale. She'd later establish herself as one of Hollywood's brightest young stars with acclaimed performances in Priscilla, Civil War, and Alien: Romulus.
Created by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden, Rogue made her debut in 1981's Avengers Annual #10 as a member of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before eventually joining the X-Men. One of Marvel's most iconic mutants, Rogue possesses the ability to absorb another person's memories, powers, and life force through physical contact, forcing her to avoid even the simplest touch.
After permanently absorbing the powers of Carol Danvers, she gained superhuman strength, flight, and near invulnerability, becoming one of the X-Men's most powerful members. She remains one of the Marvel Universe's most popular mutants and was previously played by Anna Paquin.
Talking to The Playlist to promote Her Private Hell, another rumoured Rogue candidate, Sophie Thatcher, was asked about her possible MCU future and replied, "I haven’t heard that. I'm open. I'm open to anything. I don't really know that universe."
She added, "If I connect with the script and if it’s something—because it’s on such a large scale—if it’s a story that can help us and, like, help an audience, inform an audience, if there’s empathy there, then I’m open. It’s just about, you know, the collaborator and the script. I’m not ridding myself of 'Well, I can’t do commercial. I can’t do this. I can’t do that.' I’m incredibly open."
Charles Melton, a supposed frontrunner to play Beast, was also on hand. Asked if he's interested in reuniting with Schreier after their recent collaboration on Beef Season 2, he said, "Absolutely. It does interest me for sure. Oh, yeah. That would be cool. What a dream. What a dream."
Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot is expected to be released in 2028.