Marvel Studios is rumored to be in talks with a familiar Eternals actor to play Professor Charles Xavier in its upcoming X-Men reboot. The face of Marvel's X-Men is Professor X, an Omega-level telepath who founded Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and assembled the mutant team. The role was famously played by Sir Patrick Stewart in 20th Century Fox's early X-Men movies, and he will reprise his role in this year's Avengers: Doomsday. In the latter years of Fox's reign, starting with X-Men: First Class, the franchise rewound time, bringing a younger version to life through James McAvoy.
According to a rumor shared on X by MyTimeToShineHello, IT's Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgard is "in talks" for a role in Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot, which would mark a recast given that he previously joined the MCU in 2021's Eternals. The scooper cited one source's belief that the role in question may be Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, the founder and leader of the X-Men.
This marks MTTSH's second dip into the X-Men casting rumors, having previously claimed that Star Wars' Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver will play a villain. That rumor was supported by insider Apocalyptic Horseman, who reported that Driver is playing Magneto, which may give some weight to MTTSH's other X-Men claims.
For many, this will be their first time learning that Skarsgard ever appeared in the MCU, and not just because they have forgotten Eternals happened. The actor was masked by CGI as he voiced and performed motion capture for Kro, the leader of the Deviants, who served as Eternals' widely criticized and lackluster villain.
Skarsgard had an almost equally forgettable role in 2018's Deadpool 2, shortly after IT launched him to stardom the year prior. The actor brought the acid-spitting mutant Zeitgeist to life (for a short-lived period) as a member of X-Force, only for him to parachute headfirst into a wood chipper and die on their debut mission.
The MCU is a family business for the Skarsgards, as Bill's Oscar-winning father, Stellan, has played Dr. Erik Selvig in five movies. Having been introduced as the genius astrophysicist and associate of Dr. Jane Foster in Thor, he was later controlled by Loki in The Avengers, and most recently made a cameo in Thor: Love & Thunder to advise Foster that her cancer treatments were failing her.
Here's When Marvel Studios Could Announce & Introduce Its X-Men Cast
Largely due to the 20th Century Fox movies, in which Patrick Stewart was 60 at his debut, many expect Charles Xavier to be much older than he should be. In Marvel Comics, Professor X was in his 30s when he founded Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and recruited his first class of mutants, including Cyclops and Jean Grey, which aligns nicely for the 35-year-old Bill Skarsgard to take the role.
This isn't the first time fans have heard about Bill Skarsgard seeking out a new superhero franchise role, as he was reportedly among the finalists to play Lex Luthor in James Gunn's Superman before losing out to Nicholas Hoult. However, just because Skarsgard is supposedly once again in talks for a superhero role, this time at Marvel Studios, doesn't mean he will ultimately sign on.
Apocalyptic Horseman recently stated that Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier won't start shooting his X-Men reboot movie until Spring 2027. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Sadie Sink (rumored to be Sadie Sink) expected to return in Avengers: Secret Wars, it seems increasingly likely that Marvel Studios is planning to introduce its entire X-Men cast in the climactic Phase 6 blockbuster.
While many will be holding out hope for the X-Men cast to assemble on stage at this month's San Diego Comic-Con, the chances are slim. Marvel Studios is preserving Sink's character's identity until Brand New Day, which doesn't land until one week after SDCC on Friday, July 31, so it makes more sense to save the X-Men announcements until Disney's D23 Expo in August.
