Director Jake Schreier has offered a glimpse into the creative process behind Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men film, emphasizing a desire to explore comic book elements that have not been recently revisited on screen. Speaking after the D23 2026 cast reveal, which included notable additions like Rogue, Storm, Professor X, and Mister Sinister, Schreier indicated a collaborative effort with MCU head Kevin Feige to identify underserved narratives within the mutant universe.
"One of the great things about the comics is there is such a rich and broad history," Schreier stated in an interview with Good Morning America. "That was one of the first things that Kevin and I talked about when I came in; they made many great movies in this world, and they've made so many great things. Let's find the things that haven't recently been done well. All these other corners of the universe…"
The filmmaker, who also directed Marvel's Thunderbolts*, pointed to the expansive runs of Chris Claremont and the more recent work of Jonathan Hickman as key inspirations. "Digging back into those comics like 20 years, the whole Chris Claremont run, the newer Jonathan Hickman stuff. There are so many stories that are still untold, to honor and to reach into, and then to meet this cast and try to do something new, I think you always want to see something that reveres where it came from and then is still taking a new spin on where we want to go."
The D23 presentation confirmed a slate of actors for the new X-Men team, including Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister. Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey were also part of the ensemble announcement.
Kit Connor shared that while he grew up with earlier X-Men films, the upcoming project represents a distinctly different interpretation. "I grew up with the original movies in a lot of ways, and it's really cool because it also feels like we are doing a really different version, a different take, which is really exciting," Connor said.
The X-Men film is slated for release on May 5, 2028. This places it in a busy year for Marvel, with Ghost Rider also scheduled for release that year, though without a specific date, and Black Panther 3 set for December 15, 2028. The immediate MCU pipeline includes VisionQuest in October and Avengers: Doomsday in December, both of which received new trailers at D23.