The X-Men casting rumors have picked up a gear or two over the past few weeks, as Marvel Studios is said to be "rushing" to assemble its main players for the long-awaited reboot.
Though the trades have yet to weigh in, a couple of reliable sources have reported that Adam Driver (the Star Wars sequels, Marriage Story) is in talks to play Magneto, and we're now hearing that Marvel may be eyeing an actor who will likely be viewed as an outside-the-box pick for Cyclops.
According to MTTSH, Cooper Hoffman is the studio's "top choice" to play Scott Summers.
Hoffman, son of the late Phillip Seymour, has gained acclaim for his performances in the likes of The Long Walk, Licorice Pizza, and Poetic License, but he wouldn't exactly be the first actor we'd think of when picturing the X-Men's fearless leader. At 23, Hoffman is the same age as Sadie Sink, who is believed to be playing Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
We have also heard that Obsession star Inde Navarrette is on Marvel's radar to play Rogue, and Bill Skarsgård's (It, Eternals) name has been mentioned in connection with Professor X.
Though the main focus is expected to be on the core team from the comics (Cyke, Jean, Ice-Man, Beast and Angel), another recent rumor claimed that the likes of Emma Frost, Rogue, and Storm will also appear.
Hunter Schafer's (Euphoria, Cuckoo) name continues to be brought up for Mystique, as does Cynthia Erivo's (Wicked For Good) for Storm. More recent rumors have mentioned the likes of Odessa A’zion (I Love LA, Marty Supreme) for Rogue and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent, Civil War) for Mr. Sinister.
X-Men is not expected to begin filming until next year, but we have heard that pre-production will likely get underway before the end of 2026, so the studio might well be stepping up its efforts to get the ensemble cast in place.
Casting is definitely underway at this stage, and while Marvel hasn't made any offers just yet (as far as we know), expect the trades to begin sharing shortlists fairly soon.
Could we see some of the next generation of mutants in the MCU before the X-Men reboot? @Cryptic4KQual recently claimed that Avengers: Secret Wars will feature "new mutants different from the Doomsday cast."
Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier will helm the project, and scribes Sonny Lee Sung Jin (Beef) and Joanna Calo (The Bear) recently came aboard to write a new draft of Michael Lesslie's script.
During a recent interview with Collider, Kevin Feige confirmed that the reboot will be "youth-oriented."
"Jake’s an incredibly smart guy, and he’s an incredibly talented filmmaker. We had a great experience with him on Thunderbolts, and if you saw that movie, what he did with those character interactions—he also has his pulse on, shall we say, a younger demographic... because X-Men, as it was in the comics, will be a very youth-oriented, focused and cast movie."