Ahead of SDCC, the cast of the MCU’s mutant reboot may be starting to take shape. A new wave of industry whispers has linked two powerhouse performers—Patrick Wilson and Bill Skarsgård—to the highly coveted role of Charles Xavier for Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot.
With Adam Driver reportedly set to bring his own, brand of raw, unpredictable intensity to Magneto in the 2028 film, Marvel Studios has to hit another home run in casting Xavier. Wilson’s veteran gravitas and Skarsgård’s uncanny ability to disappea into his roles, present two wildly different, yet equally thrilling, directions to re-introduce the psychic pioneer to a new generation.
Skarsgård and Wilson are phenomenal, intense actors who are highly capable of bringing a sharp, calculating psychological edge to Professor X—steering the character far away from the passive, grandfatherly warmth of Patrick Stewart‘s legendary run.
While Stewart will always be the historic gold standard, the MCU needs a Charles Xavier to lead his team through the brutal political battlefields of the mutant era. Both Skarsgård and Wilson have the range to deliver a deeply human, flawed, and sometimes dangerous version of Xavier.
If you’ve been refreshing your feed waiting for Tom Holland to suit back up, you might want to clear your schedule for next week. While Sony and Marvel have been playing their cards closer to the vest than usual, the rumor mill for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has stopped spinning and landed on a date.
According to several reliable corners of the internet—including the incredibly accurate Cryptic4KQual—the first official trailer for the fourth Holland-led Spidey flick is slated to drop on Wednesday, March 18.
With a locked-in release date of July 31 just over four months away, fans are rabidly anticipating a first-look teaser. Marvel and Sony traditionally kick off the 100-day marketing sprint around this time, and with the Brand New Day subtitle signaling a fresh start for Peter Parker after the multiversal madness of No Way Home, first time franchise director Destin Daniel Cretton has taken the opportunity to put together a completely different take on the Wall-Crawler…and maybe get a hint or two about the identity of Sadie Sink‘s mysterious character.
Fans were disappointed when Marvel skipped a trailer drop during the 2026 Super Bowl, but the consensus is that Sony wanted a standalone window to dominate the conversation without competing with the big game’s noise. And with the studio’s Project Hail Mary set to dominate the box office, pairing the teaser with that film will ensure it meets plenty of eyeballs.
When Steven Yeundebuts as the powerful Sentry in 2025’s Thunderbolts, he’ll join the extensive list of talent who have appeared in two of the industry’s most popular shared universes: the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Walking Dead Television Universe. Michael Rooker, Danai Gurira, Lauren Ridloff and Matt Lintz are among those who have all held down major roles in the MCU while also spending time fending off zombies in AMC’s popular and expansive franchise. Jon Bernthal, who along with Andrew Lincoln was one of the first two actors cast in The Walking Dead, is set to reprise his role as Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Daredevil: Born Again, and fans have pined for Norman Reedus, whose Daryl Dixon remains one of the faces of The Walking Dead franchise, to land a Marvel role–mostly Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze–for years. However, a new report indicates that another franchise mainstay might be next in line to join the MCU.
According to industry insider Daniel RPK, Colman Domingo, who has starred as Victor Strand in Fear the Walking Dead, is atop the list of actors that Marvel Studios is considering for a major role in their ongoing Multiverse Saga.
The new report suggests that Domingo, who has appeared in 109 episodes of the series over its 8 seasons, is among a group of actors being considered by Marvel Studios to fill the role of Kang the Conqueror, the current franchise “big bad.” Jonathan Majors, who was originally cast as Kang and has appeared as Variants of the character in both seasons of the streaming series Loki as well as 2023’s Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, was fired by the studio in December 2023 after being found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and of harassment stemming from an incident with a former partner in March 2023. Domingo, who also starred in 2021’s The Candyman, HBO’s Euphoria and voiced Unicron in 2023’s Transformer: Rise of the Beasts, immediately emerged as an online fan favorite for the role of Kang in the wake of the news of Majors’ firing and would be a strong choice should the studio cast him.
Rumors about a potential pivot away from a focus on Kang the Conqueror have been prominent for some time and only grew louder when Marvel cut ties with Majors. Fan reception to the character, particularly in his role in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, has been less than enthusiastic and with a creative overhaul of the two-part finale of the Multiverse Saga—including a new writer on Avengers 5, which was set to feature Kang–it seemed as though Marvel might choose to wash their hands of the character and replace him with another villain. While they still may choose to reduce Kang’s role in the remaining films in the Saga, interest in an actor of Domingo’s caliber suggests there are still some plans for Master of Men.
Just last week, insider Daniel RPK indicated that–as has been expected for some time–Daredevil will team up with Spider-Man in Spidey 4. However, according to RPK, while The Man Without Fear seems set for a major role in the film, another Marvel hero might join him in a…smaller role…as Paul Rudd‘s Scott Lang has been mentioned as potentially having a role similar in size to that of Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming or Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. As has been rumored for quite some time, the film would see Spidey and his pals take on Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin, who is rumored to become the Mayor of New York in Daredevil: Born Again and set his sights on the city’s vigilantism.
According to Cryptic HD Quality, Marvel and Sony are treating Spider-Man 4 as their “Street Level CIVIL WAR,” referencing Captain America: Civil War, the film in which Holland made his MCU debut as Spidey.
Mhm.. Honestly can't wait for this film tbh. Ik things aren't really set up and in motion but it was described to me to be a Street Level CIVIL WAR. https://t.co/4myckfldNK
Putting together a street-level Civil War would mean that Spidey would need to bring in some more of his amazing friends, and according to the rumor mill, that’s exactly what he’ll be doing. Cryptic HD Quality went on to reveal that Peter Parker would be aided by a roster of heroes that includes–but is not limited to–Haille Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop, Alaqua Cox‘s Maya Lopez/Echo and Jessica Jones. Jones has long been rumored to return in multiple projects such as Echo and Daredevil: Born Again and the studio has been eager to work with actress Krysten Ritter who has also expressed an interest in revisiting the character who she first played in 2015 in Netflix’s Jessica Jones.
I would absolutely just die to play Jessica again. I had the best time doing it and I just love her so much. I’m so proud of that character. Not only because it was like a great role and she’s such a bad-ass, but that character has really resonated with people in a way that I don’t know who else has. Really, really resonated with women and girls, trauma survivors. It’s just so, so big and such a thing I’m so grateful to have been a part of. So if there’s ever an opportunity for me to put on those boots, I will be there in a flash.
Krysten Ritter on returning to the role of Jessica Jones
Iron Man. Nick Fury and Maria Hill–or rather Talos and Soren. Doctor Strange. In each of the films in the MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy, Tom Holland’s Web-Slinger has teamed up with a Marvel hero to help save the day. The deal that Sony and Disney struck to co-create these films was all about the tradeoff: Marvel Studios can use Spidey in their films as long as some Marvel characters show up in the Sony Spidey films. And with a fourth installment in the franchise already in development—and probably already drafted by now despite having been webbed up a bit by the WGA strike–fans have been speculating which character(s) might show up next.
Among the most talked about potential partners for a team-up is Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Cox made his MCU debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home and there have been plenty of rumors that the streaming series, Daredevil: Born Again, will set up part of the plot of Spider-Man 4. Those rumors certainly make sense given their extensive history of working together in the comic books and Daredevil turning up in the next film feels like a real possibility given Kevin Feige’s revelation that he and Spidey would lead the studio’s “street-level” heroes. Now, a new rumor from a credible MCU insider indicates that Cox may indeed be suiting up for the next MCU-set Spidey film…but he won’t be the only one!
According to insider Daniel RPK, who has had a torrid stretch of hitting big on Marvel Studios-related scoops, Spider-Man 4 will indeed feature Daredevil teaming up with Holland’s Spidey and, in a very unexpected twist, the film may also include Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang. Should Daredevil: Born Again set up Kingpin as the villain of the fourth Spidey film–something star Vincent D’Onofrio has gone on record as desiringon more than one occasion–including Daredevil makes sense but where would Scott Lang, who recently returned from an adventure in the Quantum Realm where he faced off with Kang, fit in?
Though it’s expected to undergo significant reshoots, photos from the set of Daredevil: Born Again taken in March 2023 were full of paraphernalia with the Pym van Dyne Foundation logo. If the rumor is true, it’s possible that Lang’s role in the film wouldn’t be major and that it could simply follow up on whatever role the Foundation has in Born Again. Though Lang and Spider-Man don’t have a long history of teaming up in the comics, they have worked together on occasion in the past and he has taken on a handful of Spidey’s villains and served as a street-level hero from time to time, even joining one iteration of Heroes for Hire. Of course, the appeal is less Ant-Man and more Rudd, who brings his trademark smarm to the role and would fit in nicely with Cox and Holland.
Following Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was clear that Lucasfilm wanted Star Wars to make a triumphant return to theaters. The studio announced three new theatrical releases set to debut in three different era of the Star Wars timeline. Of those, it was widely believed that director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film–which will be set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker and see Daisy Ridley‘s Rey found a new Jedi Order–is Lucasfilm’s top choice to kick off their return to theaters. And right up until a pair of Hollywood work stoppages, that seemed to remain the case. However, a new report from insider Jeff Sneider indicates that Lucasfilm may have quickly pivoted to a project even further along in development as the one to get Star Wars back in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.
According to Sneider, Lucasfilm is making moves to reframe the fourth season of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian as a film and have it ready to make the 2026 date. “I think we’ve all been operating under the impression that the Daisy Ridley movie was going to be the next Star Wars movie, I know I certainly was,” said Sneider. “They announced like three movies and it was like, ‘okay, the Daisy Ridley one is the furthest along I think.’ It has a director and all that. Anyway, it doesn’t sound like that may be the next one,” he teased before revealing the news from his source.
A couple of months ago I shot this one down, that there were rumours that season four of The Mandalorian could be turned into a movie. I think at the time I didn’t think that was necessarily the case. However, that is now what I am starting to hear. That the odds are in that projects favour, whatever season four of The Mandalorian turns out to be, whoever is in it, what it turns out, whatever shape it takes, it is looking like that could be the next Star Wars movie and that might be the thing that’s announced before the end of the year.
Sneider’s Star Wars source has proven to be fairly informative in the past, specifically around the Ridley-led film, and if it’s correct again here, fans may get news in the next couple of weeks. Favreau completed work on the scripts for Season 4 of The Mandalorian well before the WGA strikes and until the SAG strike backed up the production pipeline, principal photography was expected to begin this past fall. Given all those factors and where the current plot of the New Republic era stories have left off and the popularity of the ongoing series, it does seem possible Lucasfilm is making those moves.
However, with leading daddy Pedro Pascal heavily rumored to portraying Reed Richards in Marvel Studios Fantastic Four—said to be filming in the spring of 2024–and also set to be tied up on production of Season 2 of The Last of Us, it’s hard to imagine he’d have time to fulfill his duties as Din Djarin. Fortunately, it’s fairly widely known that Pascal mostly does voice work for the series while the Beskar suit is filled by Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder. With all the in mind, this sounds very much like a rumor worth paying attention to. Perhaps this is the way for Star Wars to get back to theaters!
While Marvel Studios Phase 5 films have not done the type of business at the box office that the studio had become accustomed to, Phase 4–which ended with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever–was lucrative. Despite COVID delays and a fairly last-minute change in its creative team, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was among those successes, raking in over $400M domestically on its way to falling just shy of $1B globally ($952M). Much of the success of the film was attributed to director Sam Raimi who despite coming on late put his signature touches on a film that looked to be in trouble. Raimi was so impressive that Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, has been rumored to be interested in working with the director again. As Marvel Studios looks to get back on track following the strikes, those rumors are heating up again and have become a bit more interesting.
According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios is considering Raimi not only for another installment in the Doctor Strange franchise but also to direct both parts of the two-part finale to the Multiverse Saga. Though Doctor Strange 3 has not been officially announced by the studio, it’s widely believed that it’s going to be included in the Multiverse Saga and rumored to be happening BEFORE Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which is currently slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2026. If the rumors of where Strange 3 would fall are true, that would currently leave only February 13th, 2026 as a potential release date. The current slate would seem to face Raimi with choosing either the threequel or the Avengers films, which RPK addressed in his report.
Given the delays Marvel Studio has already faced due to the strikes and the reworking of several projects, perhaps they’ll find a way to shuffle things around and allow Raimi the opportunity to do all three films. Strange is purportedly a key character in the Multiverse Saga, though so far he’s only made two appearances (Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). While that might seem like a tall order for one director, it would be similar to what the Joe and Anthony Russo did in Phase 3 directing Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) after debuting as MCU directors with 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s safe to say that by giving the Russos room to work and grow with the Infinity Saga’s central characters, Steve and Tony, the entire saga benefitted. Perhaps that’s something they will keep in mind in this rumored scenario with Raimi and allow him to work with Michael Waldron on similarly developing Stephen Strange.
Paired with Jonathan Majors‘ ongoing legal troubles, Cretton’s departure from The Kang Dynasty led to some rumblings that Marvel Studios had decided to part ways with Majors and ditch their ongoing Kang storyline entirely. Part of that rumor has since been disputed by scooper Daniel RPK who explained that while Marvel is open to recasting Kang, “they’re not leaving the character aside.“
Given Loki producer Kevin Wright’s revelation that Michael Waldron, who was originally tabbed by Marvel Studios to write Avengers: Secret Wars, had taken over writing duties on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, RPK’s information seems consistent with what the studios is saying publicly. “He loves obviously this world as he helped create it“, said Wright of Waldron, referring to the fact that the writer was behind Kang’s introduction to the MCU as the creator of the first season of Loki.
Secret Secret Wars
With Waldron taking over creative duties on both ends of the two-part Multiverse Saga finale, there’s been some speculation that the studio may scrap the title “The Kang Dynasty” altogether. Insider Jeff Sneider shared that his source indicated that might be the case and that the studio might opt for Avengers: Secret Wars, Part 1 and Avengers: Secret Wars, Part 2. That seems a little unlikely for a studio that loves to coopt comic book titles from Marvel Comics but another bit of info shared by the scooper does line up with something we’ve heard from our own sources.
Snieder indicated that, regardless of titles, the two films are a two-part story and that with the departure of Cretton, the studio was now looking for one director/team of directors to rule them all as was the cast with the Russo brothers on Avengers: Infinty War and Avengers: Endgame. As it was explained to me, Marvel was looking for a “cohesive vision for two movies” and with Waldron on board to write both, they are halfway there. This sheds some light on Cretton’s departure (how could he handle the Shang-Chi sequel–which is rumored to be part of this Saga–AND both big Avengers films?) and then opens the door to who might be available for both films. While Sneider suggested the studio might look at Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman, internet sentiment would have Kevin Feige at least consider Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead who were recently lauded for their work on Loki Season 2. Though the duo recently took over on Daredevil, their schedule might clear up afterward and just because Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently slated for a May 2, 2026 release doesn’t mean that’s where it will end up. At this point, the studio would happily move the film if it meant it hit as hard as Avengers: Infinty War did in 2018.
Whatever the case, evidence is mounting that Marvel Studios has evaluated and changed course a bit…just how much remains to be seen.
As it works toward a possible Spring 2024 start of production, Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four is looking to round out its cast which is already rumored to be loaded with talent. After news broke that The Mandalorian and The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal was in talks for the role of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, rumors about the studio having settled on actors to fill the rest of the roles of Marvel Comics First Family weren’t far behind. Now, another rumor centered on one of the Fantastic Four’s most well-known antagonists has hit the web.
Sneider believes that the role of Galactus will mostly require Bardem to do voice work, which could ultimately make it possible for him to land the role. However, it’s possible that some motion-capture work might also be necessary which means both that the MCU’s Galactus would be more than an effervescent fart cloud and that Bardem would have to work around his schedule on F1 which co-stars Brad Pitt.
Marvel Studios highly anticipated Fantastic Four reboot continues to be a hot topic. Though its release date was recently bumped to May 2nd, 2025, the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes could produce a domino effect that bump it even further down the road should production the projects that were in the midst of filming drag too far into 2024. Strikes aside, casting rumors about the film have hardly slowed down. Recently, a pair of talented actors took their turns in the rumor mill but are they signed, sealed and delivered? While there’s no way we’re going to confirm or deny anything at all, here’s what we’ve heard about Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn’s involvement with Fantastic Four.
Vanessa Kirby
It’s been made clear since the casting process for Fantastic Four began that director Matt Shakman hoped to cast his Susan Storm first and then build out from there. With that in mind, it always seemed pretty suspicious that so many casting rumors were centered on Reed Richards when there was no Sue. Kirby’s name was one that made a few trips through the rumor mill, seemingly ebbing and flowing in the opposite direction of Margot Robbie’s. Over the last week, Kirby’s name popped back up with several different scoopers indicating that she had landed the role of Susan Storm and news reached us that corroborates that info. From what we’ve heard, however, Kirby is the only actor believed to have actually agreed to a deal before the SAG strike.
Joseph Quinn
So where does that leave Stranger Things breakout star Joseph Quinn? It sounds like Quinn is the choice for Johnny Storm (concept art of the actor as the Human Torch has been spotted, we hear) and is expected to close a deal once Hollywood returns to business as usual. However, with no end date to the SAG strike in sight, it would be wise not to count any eggs before they hatch as any number of snags with scheduling could potentially cause Quinn to end up on the outside looking in and Marvel looking for a different Torch.
No new ground is being broken here simply some support and clarification for what’s already out there but given the wild times in Hollywood, nobody should hold their breath on either of these two stars being in Fantastic Four until after production on the reboot wraps…if it ever starts.
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