Marvel reveals X-Men movie cast at D23: Driver as Mr. Sinister, Abbott as Professor X, May 2028 release

Cast unveiled at D23

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige took the stage at Disney's D23 event in Anaheim on August 15, 2026, to announce the inaugural X-Men team for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The lineup includes Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Inde Navarette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm. Adam Driver joins as the film's villain, Mr. Sinister, though Deadline reports he initially teased the crowd by saying "Magneto" before pausing and correcting himself to say "No wait, Nathaniel Mayberry." Variety and Gizmodo both identify the role as Mr. Sinister.

The announcement caps what Deadline described as the most active casting process of the summer, with director Jake Schreier and Marvel executives meeting and auditioning actors throughout the season. A final round of tests took place after the July 4 holiday. Feige introduced Sadie Sink on stage before the X-Men reveal, with the actress telling the audience:

We're here to talk about the X-Men.

Behind the camera

Jake Schreier, known for directing Thunderbolts, is helming the project. The script comes from Beef creator Lee Sung Jim and The Bear co-creator Joanna Calo. The film is set for release on May 5, 2028, and will be the first X-Men movie to bear the name under the Marvel Studios banner. Schreier was tapped to direct last spring, giving the project momentum after years of fan anticipation following Disney's 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox and its library. The X-Men universe was the most popular and profitable Marvel IP that Fox controlled, producing seven films and a Wolverine spinoff franchise with three additional entries.

A franchise in transition

The X-Men have not assembled on screen since Fox's 2019 film Dark Phoenix, which starred James McAvoy as Professor X, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, and Sophie Turner as Jean Grey. That younger cast had starred in several Fox prequel films, including First Class, Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse. Fox's X-Men franchise ended with the 2020 spinoff New Mutants, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, and Maisie Williams. The original Fox trilogy featured Patrick Stewart as Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Halle Berry as Storm, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique.

Except for Berry and Janssen, those original cast members are reprising their roles in Avengers: Doomsday, arriving in December 2026, where they will cross over with MCU stars to battle Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. Patrick Stewart is confirmed among those returning. Channing Tatum, who debuted as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, will also appear in Doomsday.

What else is coming

Marvel is not leaving X-Men fans waiting until 2028 for mutant content. New seasons of the animated X-Men '97 series are coming on a yearly basis, and video games are starting to feature more mutant characters after a long absence. At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026, Marvel also announced a Ghost Rider movie starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Shawn Levy and written by Jonathan Tropper, slated for 2028. David Jonsson was confirmed as T'Challa's grown son in Black Panther 3, set for December.