‘X-Men’ Reboot Rumor: Patrick Wilson, Bill Skarsgård, Adam Driver Emerge as Favorites for New Professor X and Magneto

As the MCU gears up for an official live-action reboot of ‘X-Men’, two new actors emerge as favorites to assume the roles of Professor X and Magneto.

via: CBM

Word on the street is that Marvel Studios and X-Men director Jake Schreier have found the MCU's Charles Xavier and Magneto.

Several social media accounts, including Geek Vibes Nation, are reporting that Patrick Wilson and Bill Skarsgård are in the running to portray Professor X in the upcoming X-Men movie. It appears the recent rumor on social media was perpetuated by the website Knight Edge Media. Wilson is quite the accomplished actor in Hollywood, earning a Golden Globe for Fargo and an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Angels in America. He’s also a familiar face from his roles in projects like Watchmen, Aquaman, and The Founder. 

@MyTimeToShineH was first to break the news of Adam Driver being cast as a villain in X-Men, which has since been corroborated by former Nexus Point News writer @ApocHorseman. However, he added to the report by claiming that the actor has signed up to play the Master of Magnetism.

There's been some chatter about the X-Men cast being revealed at next weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, so more casting news may be imminent.

If Driver is playing Magneto, it seems fair to say that the studio has chosen well. The actor is no stranger to playing villains, and at 42, he'll bring a little more youthful energy to the role, like Michael Fassbender before him. This would also line up with reports that the X-Men will be teenagers or in their early 20s in the MCU.

Driver was previously reported to be in talks to play Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The role ultimately went to Pedro Pascal.

It's been rumoured on multiple occasions that Mister Sinister will be the big bad of the new X-Men franchise, but that doesn't mean there isn't still room for Magneto. What he'll bring to the movie remains to be seen. There are also unverified rumblings that Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Grotesquerie) is being eyed for Cyclops.

Driver has quietly built one of Hollywood's most impressive résumés over the past decade. After a breakout role as Adam Sackler in HBO's Girls, the actor became a household name when he was cast as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Since then, Driver has earned two Academy Award nominations for BlacKkKlansman and Marriage Story. In the past, he's earned widespread acclaim for performances in movies like House of Gucci, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Last Duel, and Ferrari.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963's X-Men #1, Magneto is widely regarded as one of Marvel's greatest villains. A Holocaust survivor, Magneto possesses the Omega-level mutant ability to manipulate magnetic fields. While he has often clashed with Charles Xavier and the X-Men over his belief that mutants should rule rather than coexist with humanity, Magneto has, in recent years, become a hero and joined the X-Men.

Magneto was previously portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen in 2000's X-Men. He later reprised the role in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and this December's Avengers: Doomsday. Michael Fassbender later took over as a younger version of Erik Lehnsherr in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix.

Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot is expected to be released in 2028.