With Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Sadie Sink set to play Jean Grey and Ready or Not's Samara Weaving taking on the role of Emma Frost, Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot is quickly taking shape.
Today, Deadline brings word that Heartstopper star Kit Connor, 22, has been cast as the MCU's Scott Summers/Cyclops. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier reportedly met with several candidates before deciding last week that Connor was the right choice to play the hero.
The trade adds, "Following a number of meetings and auditions over the last couple [of] months, sources say a small group of actors tested after the Fourth of July holiday and after a lot of back and forth, Marvel landed on Connor as the choice to play Summers."
Introduced by Stand Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963's The X-Men #1, Scott Summers has become one of Marvel's most iconic mutants and is the longtime field leader of the X-Men. Born with the ability to unleash devastating optic blasts from his eyes, Scott relies on a ruby-quartz visor to control his powers.
As Professor Charles Xavier's first student, Cyclops has become renowned for his tactical brilliance, unwavering sense of duty, and often complicated relationship with fellow X-Man Jean Grey.
Whether leading the X-Men or X-Factor, Scott remains one of mutantkind's greatest champions, and he even briefly headed down the "Magneto" route with a somewhat villainous turn after Avengers vs. X-Men. It's also worth pointing out that, during Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, Cyclops cheated on Jean and became romantically involved with Emma Frost.
Connor, meanwhile, is an English actor who rose to international fame as Nick Nelson in Netflix's Heartstopper. He has also appeared in His Dark Materials, Rocketman, Warfare, and voiced Brightbill in DreamWorks' The Wild Robot. Connor has earned widespread praise for his dramatic range, and has long been a fan-favourite choice to play the Young Avengers' Hulkling.
Cyclops was previously portrayed in live-action by James Marsden in Fox's original X-Men trilogy and X-Men: Days of Future Past, while Tye Sheridan played a younger version of the character in X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2, and Dark Phoenix.
There are lots of rumours swirling around the X-Men cast, with Adam Driver supposedly playing the villainous Mister Sinister. Charles Melton has been named as a contender for Beast, with Cailee Spaeny in the mix for Rogue. As for Professor X, it sounds like it's down to Tom Pelphrey and Bill Skarsgård. We're expecting an official announcement at D23 next weekend.
Despite rumblings that Narcos star Wagner Moura is a possibility for Mister Sinister, the actor set the record straight during a recent interview with ScreenRant.
"Dude, I've been reading these things on the internet, and people are sending that to me. I mean, I'm a fan of that whole entire universe, especially when I was a kid reading all those graphic novels and everything," he shared. "But there's nothing. No one contacted me about it. It's just something that people read. But on the internet, I don't know nothing honestly about it. I would love it."
X-Men is expected to be released in theaters in 2028 or 2029.