Disney’s D23 convention delivered Marvel’s most anticipated casting reveal in years on Friday night: Adam Driver will play the supervillain Mister Sinister in the MCU’s forthcoming X-Men reboot, set for release in May 2028. Driver was joined by a wave of major announcements that also included Inde Navarette as Rogue, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, and Maya Boyd as Storm.
Driver appeared via video to an arena of 12,000 fans in Anaheim, California, choosing to announce himself with a piece of misdirection. “So I’m very excited to be playing the role of Maaagneto!” he said — before pausing, pulling back, and correcting himself: “even better, Nathaniel Millbury,” an alias for Mister Sinister. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige noted that Driver and Feige had “been talking for years” about him joining the MCU.
Also appearing on stage were previously announced X-Men cast members Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Kit Connor as Scott “Cyclops” Summers, and Sadie Sink, whose role as Jean Grey had already been revealed through her appearance in this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Feige noted that most of the cast was meeting in person for the first time backstage before taking the stage together.
The X-Men Reboot — What We Know
X-Men is directed by Jake Schreier. The script is being written by Lee Sung Jin, creator of Beef, and Joanna Calo, co-showrunner of The Bear — a pairing of prestige television writers that signals an approach to character and story distinct from previous X-Men adaptations. The film’s inclusion in the MCU became possible with Disney’s 2019 acquisition of Fox’s film studio, which had held the X-Men rights for two decades.
Navarette’s casting as Rogue comes off the back of a breakthrough year. Her performance in the indie horror film Obsession made her one of Hollywood’s most sought-after emerging actors, and her casting in the X-Men film had been widely rumoured before Friday’s confirmation.
Driver’s longtime Girls castmate Christopher Abbott joins as Professor X — an unexpected casting that adds further weight to the script’s prestige television sensibility.
Star Wars: Starfighter and Ryan Gosling’s Return
Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy headlined the Star Wars portion of the evening for Star Wars: Starfighter, releasing May 2027. Gosling — who was announced as Marvel’s Ghost Rider at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this summer — opened with a personal note about his history with Disney, having been a child cast member on The Mickey Mouse Club. “I owe a lot to Disney. Had they not looked far and wide and come to my hometown I would not be here today. Now, 30 years later, I’m back and it’s changing my life again.”
Levy placed a leather jacket featuring his character Kade Auberon’s skull-and-bones symbol on Gosling before footage played. Gosling described Auberon as “a guy from the wrong side of the galaxy, whose fate is intertwined with the fastest starfighter ever built.” Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson also appeared to promote the Disney+ series’ second season, as did Hayden Christensen, who will return as a Force Ghost version of Anakin Skywalker.
Avengers: Doomsday — New Footage and a Wolverine Tease
Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Hayley Atwell took the stage to introduce new Avengers: Doomsday footage, releasing December 18th. The trailer shows Downey’s Doctor Doom — fully shed of Iron Man — overpowering Thor, Evans returning as Captain America while holding a baby, and Ian McKellen appearing as a long-haired, haggard, struggling version of Magneto.
Hugh Jackman appeared via video to tell Feige he would be willing to return as Wolverine for Doomsday. His answer stopped short of confirming it, but the fan consensus after his appearance has shifted decisively toward yes. Paul Bettany and James Spader appeared to preview the Disney+ series Visionquest, in which Vision and Ultron appear as oddly human versions of themselves. “I’m told in the Marvel Universe that no one is ever really dead,” Bettany said.
Frozen 3 — and Everything Going Wrong
Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel attempted to perform a new arrangement of “Frozen Heart” to introduce Frozen 3 — and promptly encountered malfunctioning audio, failed video, and a set of doors that refused to open on cue. They improvised through the chaos with the kind of ease that only comes from decades in the business. “Should we go back and try it again?” Menzel asked at the end. Bell described for the audience everything that was meant to happen. “You guys were gonna freak out.” The crowd loved it. Josh Gad followed with “Oooh, Samantha,” a love song his Olaf character will perform in the third film. The night also included performances from the cast of The Greatest Showman stage musical, which premieres on London’s West End next year.
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