Marvel’s X-Men reboot: casting rumors heat up for Cyclops and Jean Grey

Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still very much coming together. The studio hasn’t announced an official cast, release date, or plot synopsis, but the current round of casting rumors has Kit Connor lined up for Cyclops, Sadie Sink for Jean Grey, Samara Weaving for Emma Frost, Adam Driver for a possible villain role like Sebastian Shaw, and Christopher Abbott and Tom Pelphrey testing for Professor X. Put all that together, and it looks like Marvel may be putting a younger core team in place.

Multiple reports say Jake Schreier is set to direct the film after Thunderbolts. Kevin Feige has also made it clear that the X-Men will be a major focus for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Secret Wars, and the talk of a more female-driven lineup has already given this reboot a different feel from the earlier X-Men movies.

Rumors about Dafne Keen returning as Laura Kinney, better known as X-23, have also played especially well. That move would let Marvel Studios acknowledge the 20th Century Fox era without just trying to recreate Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

If you follow Marvel closely, this is one to keep an eye on. The 20th Century Fox X-Men series, by release count, ran for 13 films from 2000 to 2020, pulled in more than $6 billion worldwide at the box office, and reverted to Marvel after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019.

There’s nothing to watch or pre-order yet, so for now you’ll just have to wait for Marvel Studios to make the X-Men reboot official, possibly at Disney’s D23 fan event.