James McAvoy addresses MCU's X-Men recasting for the first time

Though several stars from the X-Men franchise are reprising their roles in Avengers: Doomsday, James McAvoy isn't one of them. Furthermore, a new era is coming as the superhero series will be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Jake Schreier's upcoming film recently announced its principal cast, with Sadie Sink, Samara Weaving, Kit Connor, Inde Navarrette, Adam Driver and Maya Boyd all being confirmed to appear.

Christopher Abbott will also assume the role of Charles Xavier / Professor X, the part that has been played by both McAvoy and Patrick Stewart. The latter will have one more appearance as the iconic figure, as he reprises his role in Avengers: Doomsday.

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While it remains to be seen how the reboot will play out, McAvoy has offered his - admittedly brief - thoughts on the various casting decisions as he sent his best wishes to the group of actors.

The Scottish star was at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to promote Faith when he was asked by Entertainment Weekly about the reboot, to which he replied: "I just wish them well, and good luck."

"But I'm here to sell a different film, and I don't really have a massive publicity machine. They [Marvel] can sell [X-Men] on their own. But, massive good luck to them," added the actor.

The upcoming X-Men film will be directed by Schreier, who previously helmed Thunderbolts*. The franchise was previously under the wing of 20th Century Fox, before Marvel Studios attained the rights in 2019.

The casting for the film was unveiled at Disney's D23 Expo last month as the actors took to the stage, though Sink's role as Jean Grey was already confirmed following her appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

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Weaving, who is known for Ready or Not, will play Emma Frost, while Heartstopper star Connor will assume the role of Cyclops. Newcomer Boyd and Obsession star Navarrette will play Storm and Rogue respectively, while Driver has been cast as Mister Sinister.

Sink, who is also known for Stranger Things, had previously teased some details about the upcoming film, sharing: "Knowing Jean's struggle will be important in the future of her character and where she goes, just makes her really well-rounded, which I'm excited for."

X-Men is released in cinemas on 5 May 2028.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.