TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Disney's D23 event in Anaheim has finally brought clarity to some casting rumors for Marvel's X-Men reboot. The movie will star Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Prof. X, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm and Adam Driver as the villain, Mr. Sinister.
Kevin Feige, the frontman of Marvel Studios, announced both the inaugural members of the mutant team and the release date of the film during his presentation on Friday.
Marking the ensemble's official debut in the MCU, Marvel's X-Men will be spearheaded by director Jake Schreier and slated for a May 5, 2028, release date.
Joining Feige on the D23 stage for the announcement was Sadie Sink, whose appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day confirmed the Jean Grey casting. "We're here to talk about the X-Men," Feige said, as quoted from Deadline.
The newly announced cast members also appeared on stage, with Adam Driver making a video remark. "They just met backstage for the very first time," Feige said, adding that this would not be the complete line-up.
This latest development will be the first X-Men movie after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. The X-Men universe was by far the most popular and profitable Marvel IP that Fox controlled, according to Deadline.
Meet the New X-Men Cast
According to The Hollywood Reporter, some of the cast was known prior to D23. Here's the complete list:
1. Sadie Sink
We first met Jean Grey in the latest installment of Tom Holland's Spider-Man, played by Stranger Things actress and Tony-nominated Sadie Sink.
But before that, months of speculation brewed as Sink's role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was kept tightly under wraps until musician Steve Lacy slipped up during the premiere that he was most excited to see "Jean."
2. Samara Weaving
Read or Not actress Samara Weaving soon followed. Deadline first broke the news that she will play Emma Frost, a telepath with the ability to take on an indestructible diamond form. Before Weaving, several iterations of Emma Frost had existed, including live-action X-Men projects and the popular game Marvel Rivals. Weaving most recently appeared in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and Over Your Dead Body.
3. Kit Connor
A couple of weeks before D23, Deadline reported that Kit Connor has been tapped to play the mutant Cyclops. This was confirmed on Friday.
Cyclops, or Scott Summers, is seen as the captain of the Mutants. He is best known for the powerful energy beams emitted from his eyes, which he controls through his iconic visor.
Connor, who is best known for his breakout role in Netflix's Heartstopper, will take on the visor left behind by two previous actors, James Marsden (2000s X-Men films) and Tye Sheridan (2010s version of Cyclops).
Connor's Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke joined the MCU first as Wiccan in the Disney+ series Agatha All Along.
4. Inde Navarette
While Inde Navarette revealed last July that she wanted to play Mystique, Marvel had other plans for her. Navarette has been confirmed to play Rogue, the power-absorbing mutant. Nobody has been announced to play Mystique yet.
Navarette shot to fame after starring in the record-breaking horror film Obsession this summer.
5. Maya Boyd
Maya Boyd comes from the world of Broadway, making her debut with Merrily We Roll Along before playing the lead role in & Juliet. Boyd will take on her biggest role on screen yet, as Storm, the For X-Men, she was confirmed to play Storm, an Omega-level weather manipulator.
6. Christopher Abbott
Christopher Abbot takes on the beloved role of Charles Xavier, the telepathic founder of the X-Men. The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that Abbott had tested and was a strong contender for the role. Some of his past work include The Crowded James White, It Comes at Night, and Possessor.
7. Adam Driver
Adam Driver has been rumored to be circling a few roles, including Magneto. But it's been confirmed that Driver will play a "very sinister figure named Nathaniel Milbury," or Mister Sinister.
Citing Forbes, Mister Sinister is a Victorian-era geneticist who became obsessed with mutant genetics and granted himself immortality.
Read: Every MCU 'X-Men' Reboot Casting Rumor and Confirmation So Far
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