Marvel Studios unveiled the first wave of cast members for its new X-Men film at Disney’s D23 Entertainment Showcase in August 2026. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige presented the announcement, introducing a project directed by Jake Schreier, who previously helmed Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts. The film is positioned as the first standalone X-Men movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the opening of a broader “Mutant Saga.”
The announced cast includes Sadie Sink as Jean Grey and Kit Connor as Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops. Christopher Abbott will play Charles Xavier, or Professor X. Samara Weaving is set to play Emma Frost, while Inde Navarrette will portray Rogue. Maya Boyd will play Storm. The initial lineup brings together basic mutant figures. Xavier is the X-Men’s founder and leader, while Jean Grey and Cyclops rank among the team’s basic members. Storm and Emma Frost are set to make their MCU debuts, as is Rogue.
Adam Driver’s participation was introduced in a video message from Pinewood Studios. He is reported to play Nathaniel Milbury, a villainous character associated with Mister Sinister. In Marvel Comics, Mister Sinister is known as Nathaniel Essex; Milbury is a different name used for the film’s character, and the reported connection places the casting within the franchise’s established mutant mythology.
The D23 reveal was a first-wave casting announcement rather than a complete cast list, with further casting expected in the months that followed. The film is scheduled to open in theaters on May 5, 2028, after Avengers: Secret Wars, which is listed for December 17, 2027. Schreier’s appointment follows his work on Thunderbolts and places the new film within Marvel Studios’ recent production slate.
The project marks a new Marvel Studios-led screen version of the X-Men following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which brought the film rights to the franchise under Disney’s ownership. The first announced roles establish a large ensemble of mutant characters for the MCU, while the “Mutant Saga” framing signals that the film is intended to anchor a wider chapter of the franchise.
