Adam Driver and Sadie Sink are set to lead the cast of Marvel's new X-Men reboot, with Inde Navarrette also joining the ensemble. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed the casting news Friday at the D23 fan convention, according to Variety.
Sink, 24, will portray Jean Grey, a powerful psychic and telekinetic known for her alter ego, Dark Phoenix. In the 2000 film "X-Men," Jean Grey was played by Famke Janssen, while Hugh Jackman originated the role of Wolverine.
Driver, 42, is cast as the villainous geneticist Dr. Nathaniel Essex, also known as Mister Sinister, a character making his live-action debut. Inde Navarrette, 25, will take on the role of Rogue, who can absorb others' powers through touch, a part previously played by Anna Paquin.
Christopher Abbott, 40, will play Charles Xavier, the telepathic mutant who forms the X-Men, originally portrayed by Patrick Stewart. Kit Connor, 22, is cast as Scott Summers, or Cyclops, whose uncontrollable eye lasers are managed with special eyewear. James Marsden played Cyclops in the 2000 film.
Samara Weaving will portray Emma Frost, a psychic capable of transforming into diamond form, and Maya Boyd will play Storm, a mutant with control over the weather, a role famously played by Halle Berry.
Directed by Jake Schreier, the new X-Men film is scheduled for release on May 5, 2028. The original "X-Men" film in 2000 significantly boosted the franchise's popularity, leading to sequels "X2: X-Men United" (2003) and "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006).
Previous iterations of the X-Men franchise have featured actors such as Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler in the original trilogy. The prequel series, which began in 2011 with "X-Men: First Class," starred James McAvoy as Professor X, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, and Nicholas Hoult as Beast.
Hugh Jackman most recently reprised his role as Wolverine in the 2024 film "Deadpool & Wolverine." Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Avengers: Doomsday" will feature several original cast members, including Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, and Alan Cumming.