Marvel is reportedly seeking younger unknown actors to play the X-Men to "keep the cost down"

A new cast of X-Men is coming to the MCU sooner rather than later, and now reports indicate that Marvel Studios is considering casting younger, non-name actors in order to "keep the cost down," per Variety.

The move comes after declining global box office receipts for the MCU due in large part to the loss of the Chinese market. The new X-Men movie is already in development with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier signed on to helm the film, and the studio is said to be honing the film's script by screenwriter Michael Lesslie.

Variety states that Marvel declined to comment on reports of their X-Men budgetary concerns. The studio has steadily been bringing in X-Men from the original Fox franchise, with a large portion of the cast returning for next year's Avengers: Doomsday. It seems that the film and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars will be the true swansong for the Fox X-Men, who last appeared in 2019's absolutely dismal Dark Phoenix film.

At this point, I'm personally quite glad Marvel seems to be looking at a younger cast, presumably with some new ideas driving the film. That's exactly what I want from a new X-Men movie franchise as opposed to continuing to mine the nostalgia of the decades-old original X-Men films.

Of all Marvel's properties, the X-Men are the characters who thrive most on new, different, and sometimes extremely high-concept settings. Unlike a team like the Avengers, who thrive on recapturing the glory days of classic comic books, the X-Men need to move forward, to take new steps and find new stories in order to feel fully realized and respected.

No release date for the new X-Men movie has been announced. The original X-Men will return in Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, 2026 as part of Marvel Phase 6. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.