The trailer for Avengers: Doomsday released on Monday (20 July), showcasing cast members from the 2000s X-Men series in what looks like their final send-off. Looking ahead, we know that the plan is to have an all-new cast for Marvel’s mutants, with the latest rumours speculating that Adam Driver could be the new Magneto.
It’s not confirmed whether the Star Wars sequel trilogy actor will take over the role of the Master of Magnetism from Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, or whether he’s playing villains like Mr Sinister or William Stryker, but Kevin Feige has certainly been trying.
The Marvel Studios boss spoke to the Happy Sad Confused podcast at a Spider-Man: Brand New Day press junket, and stated that he’s tried to get Driver onboard multiple times, only to have his offers politely rebuffed.
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“It’s no secret we’d like to [get Driver],” Feige said. “But it’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes. That’s a long-lived tradition.”
He didn’t outline the reasons Driver gave for turning him down, but he did say that the actor is “always cordial” during the discussions and is “usually upfront about how he is feeling”.
Marvel has a panel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, and fans are hoping to learn some concrete details about the future of the Cinematic Universe after Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars.
A new X-Men film has already been announced, with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier at the helm, but details beyond that are thin on the ground at the moment.
Regardless of what happens at Comic-Con, we might be getting our first new X-Men cast member confirmed next week anyway.
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Related: Marvel fans think Avengers: Doomsday poster hides a major plot reveal
Sadie Sink’s character in Brand New Day has been heavily rumoured to be original X-Men member Jean Grey, with Marvel’s refusal to name her only adding to the speculation.
Producer Amy Pascal seems to have given the game away, comparing the situation to the “worst kept secret” inclusion of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the last Spidey film.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is released in cinemas on 29 July, while Avengers: Doomsday releases on 18 December. X-Men ’97 season 2 is currently dropping new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.