Disney made multiple announcements at its fan event on Friday, including the cast members for Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men film. The film is set to star Christopher Abbott as Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X, alongside debutant Maya Boyd as Storm, Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury, and Obsession actor Inde Navarrette as Rogue. Disney has also scheduled the X-Men film for a May 5, 2028, release in theatres. It has tapped Jake Schreier as the film's director.
At the event, Driver initially announced that he would play Magneto in the film in a tongue-in-cheek way, only to pause and reveal Nathaniel Milbury as his character. The fan event also confirmed the speculation that the film will feature Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, and Kit Connor as Cyclops.
X-Men founder cum leader and a mutant with telepathic capabilities, Professor X made his first appearance in the comics back in 1963. Patrick Stewart played the character in seven films in the X-Men franchise, including The Wolverine (2013) and Logan (2017).
Notably, Stewart is set to return as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday. On the other hand, James McAvoy portrayed Professor X in X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018) and Dark Phoenix (2019).
The upcoming project is set to mark the first X-Men film for theatres after Disney’s 2019 acquisition of the television and film assets at 20th Century Fox. Until the acqusition, 20th Century Fox held the exclusive rights to the franchise. It is worth noting that the X-Men spinoff The New Mutants (2020) dropped on JioHotstar after the acquisition.
Disney roped in Schreier to direct the film last year, alongside screenwriters Joanna Calo (The Bear) and Lee Sung Jim (Beef).
Last appeared in the film The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), Christopher Abbott's upcoming projects include the Netflix series East of Eden, co-starring Florence Pugh. Adam Driver, meanwhile, will next be seen in Paper Tiger (which is yet to have its India release), Misty Green, and Alone at Dawn. Fresh from the blockbuster success of her horror film Obsession, Inde Navarrette will appear in the survival thriller Invertigo next.
