Kit Connor in Talks to Play Cyclops in Marvel's 'X-Men' Reboot
The 'Heartstopper' star is set to portray Scott Summers, joining Samara Weaving and Sadie Sink in the new era of mutants.
The 'Heartstopper' star is set to portray Scott Summers, joining Samara Weaving and Sadie Sink in the new era of mutants.
Marvel Studios is assembling a new generation of X-Men. Kit Connor, the 22-year-old actor best known for the series 'Heartstopper' and the war drama 'Warfare', is in talks to play Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, in the upcoming mutant film, multiple sources confirm. The news was reported nearly simultaneously on August 6, 2026, by Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and IGN.
The film will be directed by Jake Schreier, a filmmaker who gained recognition with 'Thunderbolts' and has been intensely working on assembling the project for a year. According to IGN, the studio carefully selected actors over the summer, speaking with numerous candidates, and it appears Connor is their choice to lead the X-Men.
Marvel is clearly aiming to significantly rejuvenate the franchise. Connor is only 22, suggesting the rest of the cast will be of similar age. Last week, it was announced that Samara Weaving will play Emma Frost, and earlier it was confirmed that Sadie Sink, the 'Stranger Things' star, has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jean Grey. Her debut occurred this summer in the blockbuster 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'.
IGN notes that Connor is close in age to his potential on-screen love interest, but refrains from revealing details to avoid spoilers. Weaving is noticeably older than Connor and Sink, which opens up room for creative changes in character dynamics.
With three consecutive casting confirmations, it wouldn't be surprising to hear news about other key characters like Charles Xavier and Magneto soon. If the cast is fully assembled by autumn, the film could target a 2028 release, IGN estimates. That year, Marvel plans to release 'Ghost Rider' and 'Black Panther 3' as well, but as they note, there's enough room for the X-Men in the schedule, especially since the studio plans a 'soft reboot' after 'Secret Wars'.
Actress Inde Navarrette, known for the series 'Obsession', told The Hollywood Reporter that she met with director Schreier and expressed interest in playing Mystique, further fueling rumors of an expanding cast.
Before the new team takes over, the previous generation of X-Men will have a sort of farewell tour. In December 2026, in the film 'Avengers: Doomsday', numerous actors from the original 20th Century Fox films will appear. James Marsden will reprise his role as Cyclops, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, and Ian McKellen as Magneto. They will be joined by Rebecca Romijn as Mystique and Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.
Marsden played Cyclops in the original trilogy and in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' in 2014, while Tye Sheridan took over the role in several projects during the 2010s. This merging of old and new characters through the multiverse leaves open the question of whether Hugh Jackman will continue to play Wolverine, IGN writes.
This is the first standalone X-Men film since Disney acquired the entertainment division of 20th Century Fox in 2019. Since then, the studio has gradually introduced mutants into its cinematic universe, first through the hit 'Deadpool & Wolverine' in 2024, and then through 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' in 2025. Studio representatives have so far declined to comment on casting rumors.
