As Marvel Studios inches closer to rebooting the X-Men franchise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, two beloved stars from the previous era are sharing their thoughts on the recasting rumours.
Elliot Page and James McAvoy, who played Kitty Pryde and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films under 20th Century Fox, addressed the swirling updates during a panel at New York Comic Con on Sunday, October 12.
"What do you make of those names or, just generally, the idea of someone inheriting the mantle of these characters from you?" moderator Josh Horowitz asked the pair how they felt about other names, like Colman Domingo and The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey, potentially stepping into their iconic roles.
Page gave an enthusiastic thumbs up in the wake of Marvel boss Kevin Feige’s recent statements.
"I mean, yes, absolutely," he said. "I don’t really follow the casting rumours, but they sound fantastic. It’d be so exciting to see people do a new take on X-Men."
McAvoy, who portrayed a younger version of Professor X across several X-Men films, echoed the excitement, particularly over the idea of Domingo, who recently appeared in Sabrina Carpenter's music video for Tearsin a drag role that drew online criticism, taking over the role of the powerful telepath and leader of the X-Men.
"Look, I’m excited to see what happens next," he said. "I was a fan before I was an employee and I’ll be a fan again."
While Marvel has yet to officially announce any casting decisions, Feige confirmed earlier this year that the X-Men would eventually be recast as they enter the MCU timeline, likely after the events of Secret Wars.