Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, presented the X-Men cast for the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Friday, 24 August at the D23 Disney Entertainment Showcase panel. The film is scheduled to release in cinemas on 5 May 2028.
The cast is led by Sadie Sink, who made her debut as mutant Jean Grey in the summer hit "Spider-Man: Brand New Day". Among the previously announced actors are Kit Connor as Cyclops and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost. Christopher Abbott, recent star of "The Testament of Ann Lee", was announced in the cast as Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men.
The new additions include Inde Navarette, breakout from "Obsession", in the role of Rogue; Maya Boyd, emerging actress, as Storm; and twice Oscar-nominated Adam Driver as the villain Mr. Sinister. The announcement represents a significant step in the long-awaited process of bringing the X-Men into the MCU, following the merger between Disney and Fox announced almost a decade ago.
Marvel has primarily hired actors from Fox's previous "X-Men" franchise since acquiring the rights. Patrick Stewart appeared as Professor X in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and Kelsey Grammer reprised his role as Beast in the final scene of "The Marvels".
It remains unclear how the MCU will replace many of those Fox "X-Men" characters, such as Stewart and James Marsden as Cyclops, who have already been announced for the upcoming December release "Avengers: Doomsday", with new actors like Abbott and Connor. It also remains to be seen whether there will be actors from previous films who continue to play extremely popular characters that have not yet been announced, such as Wolverine and Magneto.