Marvel Studios finally assembled its X-Men on stage at D23 Friday night, with Kevin Feige revealing the core cast of the long-awaited mutant reboot: Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Adam Driver as the villain Mr. Sinister. The film, directed by “Thunderbolts” filmmaker Jake Schreier, arrives in theaters May 5, 2028.
Feige framed the project as “Jean Grey’s story,” building on Sink’s debut as the character in this summer’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” That connection matters beyond casting: in the comics, Jean Grey and Mr. Sinister share a significant history that could shape the new film’s plot. Sink and Schreier joined Feige on stage for the announcement, which Feige noted was not the complete roster.
Driver appeared by video to confirm his role, joking that he was playing Magneto before correcting himself to reveal his character’s real identity, Nathaniel Essex, the alias behind Mr. Sinister. He described years of conversations with Feige about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe before settling on a character he said he connected with deeply.
The rest of the newly announced cast brings a mix of rising talent and stage-trained performers. Navarrette broke out in the film “Obsession,” Boyd comes from a lead role in the Broadway musical “& Juliet,” and Abbott has built a varied career spanning “Girls,” last year’s “Wolfman,” and a Tony-nominated turn in “Death of a Salesman.” Connor and Weaving had already been confirmed for their roles in the weeks leading up to D23.
The announcement caps nearly a decade of anticipation dating back to Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, which brought X-Men film rights into Marvel’s hands. Previous MCU appearances by X-Men characters have largely relied on legacy actors from Fox’s earlier franchise, including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” The mutants have not appeared together on screen since Fox’s 2019 film “Dark Phoenix.”
