MCU’s X-Men Casting Buzz: Rogue and Storm Eye Top Choices

We are rounding out an official X-Men cast list for the MCU with new information every week. In the wake of *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*, which is currently setting monster box office records nearly every day, we have our Jean Grey in the form of Sadie Sink, the first X-Man to appear onscreen.

Soon after? We now know Samara Weaving is Emma Frost and Kit Connor is Cyclops. Past that, we have insider reports and rumors, but also tens of thousands of fans pushing certain names. There are two in particular that keep being brought up, one seemingly close to confirmed, the other perhaps elected by popular vote.

Rogue

A number of insiders are reporting that actress Cailee Spaeny is either being eyed for Rogue or has actually been cast. There’s also a story that Marvel was leaning toward I Love LA actress Odessa A’Zion when Spaeny lobbied hard for the role and became the top pick.

Spaeny is on fire the last few years, one of the most popular young actresses on the market, appearing in multiple blockbusters and highly-praised projects. She was just in the second season of Netflix’s *Beef*, perhaps not well-watched, but her performance was excellent. Before that, she had a role in the latest *Knives Out* movie, also on Netflix. She led *Alien: Romulus* before that and partnered with Alex Garland for *Civil War* after previously doing the underappreciated show *Devs* with him. Perhaps her breakout part was playing Priscilla in *Priscilla*, the Elvis-adjacent film opposite Jacob Elordi.

So far, Disney has been casting exactly these sorts of “on fire” actors for roles. Sadie Sink was beloved after years of *Stranger Things*, and fans were ecstatic to see her in *Spider-Man* (many guessing she was Jean Grey). Kit Connor starred in one of Netflix’s best-reviewed shows ever, *Heartstopper*, appeared in Alex Garland’s *Warfare* and is about to lead an *Elden Ring* video game adaptation, the game largely regarded as one of the best in the medium. Samara Weaving is a horror icon from two *Babysitter* movies to two *Ready or Not* movies. Also action, from *Guns Akimbo* to *Mayhem*. And prestige projects like *Babylon* and *Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

The point being, Spaeny fits right in here, and has the backing of fans to boot. Provided…Rogue is actually in the first X-Men movie, which is not a guarantee.

Jayme Lawson arrives at the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Associated Press

Easily, there is one actress cited 800% more than any other online as the “perfect” casting for the part of Storm. That is Jayme Lawson, who played Pearline in *Sinners*, an extremely high-profile role in one of the best-reviewed films in recent years. Before that, she was already in a superhero universe between *The Penguin* and *The Batman* as Bella Reál, the (very young) mayor of Gotham. Between Lawson’s acting ability and her looks that seem perfect for the part, she is the main choice among so, so many fans online, though there are not nearly as many substantive reports that she is being considered or actually cast in the part. Again, we don’t even know if Storm is in the film. Fans took notice that her *Sinners* co-star and Oscar-winner Michael B. Jordan has been liking posts casting her as Storm on Instagram.

However, at 28, she is too old for the young X-Men being assembled, namely Sadie Sink being 24 and Kit Connor being 22, which is silly. Of these other names, Cailee Spaeny is also 28 and the already-cast Samara Weaving is 34. After all, you have never heard of actors playing younger?

So, these are two names to watch, certainly. The theory is there will be a huge slate of X-Men officially revealed at D23 in just four days on August 14, though we’ll have to wait and see if that comes to pass.

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