Marvel’s X-Men reboot now has a release date: cast and MCU villain set

Marvel Studios has dated its X-Men reboot for May 5, 2028. That makes it the first standalone X-Men movie Marvel has put out since Disney bought 21st Century Fox, and it puts mutants in line to become a major piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Secret Wars.

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The movie arrives on the other side of Secret Wars and already feels like the start of Phase 7. Jake Schreier is directing, with Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo writing, and everything about it points to a more character-focused reset for mutants in the MCU, not just Marvel picking up where the Fox version left off.

The cast also skews younger, clearly on purpose: Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm. At the same time, actors from the old 21st Century Fox run are still expected to show up in Avengers: Doomsday while Marvel handles the transition.

Adam Driver is set to play Mister Sinister, which says a lot by itself. In the comics, Sinister is deeply tied to mutant genetics, Jean Grey, and Cyclops, so the story will probably lean into their abilities, their bloodline, or whatever larger role they’re meant to play, even if Marvel still hasn’t said much about the plot.

If you’ve been waiting for mutants to really move to the center of the MCU, keep an eye on this one. Wolverine, Magneto, and Beast were all missing from the first cast reveal, but Marvel Studios is probably holding those names back for later announcements, surprise appearances, or the films that follow.

You’ll be able to see Marvel Studios’ X-Men in theaters on May 5, 2028.

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