Marvel Studios announced the X-Men cast on Friday night, and Samara Weaving is already hard at work researching her role as Emma Frost.
Taking to Instagram, the actress shared a suitably risqué photo of herself enjoying the sun while diving into some comics, which she captioned, "Don't read into it." Still, it's definitely interesting that Weaving is checking out Emma's various solo series, Astonishing X-Men, and the Krakoan Age-era Hellfire Gala stories.
The Ready or Not star also posted a panel with a villainous Emma Frost as part of the Hellfire Club. Again, it's best not to make any assumptions, but it seems increasingly likely that the group will factor into X-Men.
In related news, Maya Boyd has broken her silence on playing the MCU's Storm, writing, "It's an honor to be your Storm." This will be the acclaimed stage star's first feature role.
Talking to Good Morning America at D23, filmmaker Jake Schreier said, "One of the great things about the comics is that there is such a rich and broad history. That was one of the first things that Kevin and I talked about when I came in; they made many great movies in this world, and they've made so many great things. Let's find the things that haven't recently been done well."
"All these other corners of the universe, digging back into those comics like 20 years ago, the whole Chris Claremont run, the newer Jonathan Hickman stuff. There are so many stories that are still untold, to honour and to reach into, and then to meet this cast and try to do something new."
"I think you always want to see something that reveres where it came from," the director added, "and then is still taking a new spin on where we want to go."
In the comics, Emma Frost transformed from one of the X-Men's deadliest enemies into one of their greatest allies and most influential leaders. Introduced as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, Emma is an immensely powerful telepath whose secondary mutation allows her to turn her body into organic diamond, making her incredibly durable and nearly invulnerable.
She's also one of Cyclops' most significant love interests, famously winning him away from Jean Grey during Grant Morrison's New X-Men run. While Emma is American in the comics, she deliberately speaks with an English accent as an affectation.
Directed by Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*), the untitled X-Men movie stars Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as Scott Summers, Sadie Sink (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) as Jean Grey, Christopher Abbott (Catch-22) as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) as Rogue, and Maya Boyd (& Juliet) as Storm. Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will play Nathaniel Milbury.
X-Men will be released exclusively in theaters May 5, 2028.