At long last, after many months of detail-lite comments from Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier, on top of all the general fan speculation, the MCU’s long-awaited X-Men movie’s cast was made official (at least in part) surrounding the D23 fan event. But only after Spider-Man: Brand New Day confirmed Sadie Sink as the telepathic Jean Grey, and scream queen Samara Weaving was announced as the ice-cold Emma Frost.
Weaving and Sink will be joined by Heartstopper’s Kit Conner as Cyclops, Obsession highlight Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Wolf Man’s Christopher Abbott as Professor X, and stage actress Maya Boyd making her feature film debut as Storm, while Adam Driver is set to portray Mr. Sinister alter ego Nathaniel Milbury. Though it’s not clear just yet exactly when production will start up, the release date for the upcoming Marvel movie has been set for May 5, 2028. Which means time is of the essence for cast members to get busy with researching their roles.
Samara Weaving proved she is doing her due diligence in a most fitting fashion (while donning some fitting fashion), as she took to Instagram to share how she's balancing the summer sun with a bikini and a stack of Emma Frost comic books, along with other shots from D23. Check it out!
It's almost as if the actress knows extremely well just how obsessive and detail-oriented comic book fans can be online. Her "Don't read into it" message is presumably to stymie speculation based solely on the particular comic issues and trades that are spread out in front of her. I'm sure there are still Emma Frost fanatics out there who have already filled up at least one bulletin board with clues and theories. Hopefully they won't be too disappointed if and when none of that guesswork matches up with the live-action character's story arc.
The middle finger shot isn't directed at fans, though, at least not in an authentically disdainful way. It's (assumedly) more about embodying Emma Frost's somewhat chaotic energy. The telepathic mutant is known for her educational prowess as much as her amoral approach to most situations, and snarkily flipping the bird is pretty on-point. As is the white dress she wore to D23. Not so much the bikini, however.
With Weaving and others making up some of the X-Men’s newest generation of mutants, we’re still waiting to hear if Charles Melton will be playing Beast, and what’s happening with Magneto and other major characters who still haven’t been cast (that we know of). In the meantime…well, just keep waiting, I guess. Because it’s gonna be a long 20 months until X-Men lands in theaters.
For those who can't get enough of Samara Weaving, find her in the 2026 comedic thriller Over Your Dead Body opposite Jason Segel, which is currently available on digital and VOD. She'll also be appearing in the The Legend of Zelda, which Nintendo will be releasing in 2027.
