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On the other side of the recent Marvel news, Alasdair’s got a breakdown of the current X-Men casting, confirmed and rumoured. To me, my information!

Jean Grey

After two years of the most endearingly terrible secret keeping in recent cinema history, we have confirmation that Sadie Sink is playing Jean Grey. A telepath of terrifying power, Jean is one of the pillars of the X-Men and a formidable, relentlessly good leader of mutant kind. There’s an interesting conversation to be had about her actions in Brand New Day and we’re going to have it, just not here.

Scott Summers/Cyclops

Played by James Marsden in the original movies, Scott is a man of extremes. His powers were triggered by trauma and his enormously powerful optic laser blast fires constantly, and is only refracted by his shades or focused by his visor. He’s got a lot on his mind, and sometimes he’s a stickler for protocol and an uptight, humourless fusspot. Sometimes he’s a terrifying badass who, along with Jean, is the beating heart, and mind, of the X-Men. That second characterisation is much more fun and has thankfully become the default in the last few years. Look at his first entrance in X-Men ’97 for an example of Cyclops being very, very cool.

Two actors have been mentioned in connection with the role. Drew Stakey, who broke through in the excellent Love, Simon and looks to be having the time of his life in upcoming Onslaught, is one of them. Starkey’s great, young, upcoming, has the exact pained focus you’d expect. He’s also, and I mean no disrespect to him, an easy choice.

The second actor in the frame, or perhaps lens, is anything but an easy choice and if rumours are to be believed, is about to sign on. Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and beloved in these parts for his stunning work in The Long Walk. Hoffman would be FANTASTIC. He’s got his dad’s intensity but it’s coupled with a relentless determination to be good. No one plays yearning, or trying, like Cooper Hoffman and that hungry element fits Cyclops to a tee.

Also, and I say this from a personal perspective, Hoffman is a resolutely normal sized human, in that he clearly eats bread and enjoys carbs and the idea of a big guy being the leader of the X-Men is honestly something I find very touching. When I was a kid, I was big, bespectacled and weird. Most heroes didn’t wear glasses. Cyclops did. I keep thinking about the big, off-centre kids who would see this movie, see Cyclops and see themselves. That’s powerful, and necessary. God, I hope we get it.

Emma Frost/The White Queen

God-like telepath, aristocrat, occasional criminal, sometimes living diamond. Emma Frost is one of the best things to happen to the X-Men, and her continued presence in the comics is a little bit like dropping Dorothy Parker into the Marvel universe only she has the ability to make your brain explode.

Emma is FUN, and the apparently confirmed casting for her is REALLY fun. Samara Weaving is a legitimate scream queen. The lead in both Babysitter movies and the superb Ready or Not duology, Weaving is delightfully ready to get her hands very, very dirty and has impeccable, razor-sharp comic timing. Also, much like spiritual colleague Milla Jovovich, she revels in playing weird. Arch, funny, imposing. She’s a great choice.

Rogue

A southern belle powerhouse with terrifying abilities, Rogue is able to absorb the powers, memories and life force of anyone she touches. If she touches them too long, she kills them. Played in the original movies by Anna Paquin, she’s a major part of Gail Simone’s epochal Uncanny X-Men run, in print now.

Word is Cailee Spaeny is in the frame for Rogue and she’s a very good choice. Spaeny has a genre pedigree for days, including unforgettable work as a male character in Alex Garland’s Devs, a great early turn in Pacific Rim: Uprising and most recently leading Alien: Romulus alongside newly minted Black Panther David Jonsson. Spaeny’s physically small but has incredible presence and if this does pan out, she’s going to absolutely rock it.

Hank McCoy/Beast

Brilliant, bouncing, blue. Beast is a genius’ brain in a superpower gymnast’s body. He’s funny, sharp, weird, the big brother to the team. And for a while in the comics, a horrifying war criminal but he’s better now.

Two names come up for Beast and they’re both great. Peter Claffey, former Rugby international and everyone’s favourite Hedge Knight, is one and he’s got both the presence and the comic timing.

The other is Korean American actor Charles Melton. Melton’s about to star in Nicholas Winding Refn’s cyberpunk fairy tale nightmare, Her Private Hell. He’s also been a major part of the excellent Warfare and was a series lead in the second series of Beef. I love the idea of him for Beast. He’s got a very calm presence and Beast being a Korean American kid just feels fun and right.

Mystique

Shape changing assassin and occasional good guy Raven Darkholme is one of the most complicated of the X-Men, which is saying something. Originally played by Rebecca Romijn, who returns in Doomsday, she was also played by Jennifer Lawrence in the second trilogy.

Inde Navarette, who turns in incredible work in Obsession is reportedly in talks  to play her and has the exact unsettling energy the role demands.

Professor Charles Xavier

The leader of the X-Men, and by turns a visionary and a terrifying, manipulative monster, Charles Xavier contains multitudes and has previously been played by Sir Patrick Stewart and James MacAvoy.

This is where things get really interesting. Current rumours are that three names are on the shortlist for the role and they’re all good.

The first is Drew Starkey, and honestly, I could see him as Professor X far more than Cyclops. I also really like the idea of a younger Professor Xavier. Another is genre stalwart Bill Skarsgård who has the exact right slightly frightening energy. The third is Tom Phelphrey. You may not know Pelphrey’s name but you have seen him. He’s done excellent, dark work in shows like Ozark, Banshee, Iron Fist and Task and he’d be great as a slightly older father figure. Plus, the dude has done nothing but dark tortured roles for years. I kind of feel like he deserves the break.

All of these names are fun, and all these folks are very talented. But, like I alluded to in the other piece, there’s a rhythm to their rumouring, and confirmation, that presents as both cowardly and cynical. The string of cancellations and announcements Marvel have rolled out in the last few weeks have all been notably less diverse and more conservative than other recent choices. They’re all terrible looks and Marvel seem to know this. The notable lack of X-Men news at SDCC, coupled with the upcoming D23 event means a lot of folks suspect that we’re going to get an X-Men rollout there with the drip feed we’re getting right now either engineered leaks or Marvel offsetting their recent terrible choices with some good ones. On the one hand, this looks a little unfair. On the other Wonder Man was renewed, Emmy nominated and now cancelled. Couple that with the fact that except for Navarette and Melton there are no POC talents on this list and you can see why people are both angry and preparing to be angry. There’s been a breach of trust at Marvel, and rather than address it, they’re delivering mealy mouthed apologies and drip feed rumours. The House of Ideas could use some better ideas, especially in the PR department.