James Marsden has a handful of exciting roles on the horizon, two of which will see the actor revisit his two biggest franchises. Another Sonic film is hardly a surprise, considering that Marsden starred in the first three, which were released over the last six years. Avengers: Doomsday, however, will put the actor back in a role he hasn’t played since 2014, and even that appearance (X-Men Days of Future Past) amounted to just a brief cameo.
Marsden spent a surprising amount of his career playing the guy who doesn’t get the girl. In The Notebook, he played the perfectly decent man Allie leaves for Noah. His Prince Edward in Enchanted traveled all the way to New York City to find Giselle, only to watch her fall for someone else. Even Cyclops couldn’t escape the competition, spending much of the original X-Men movies watching Wolverine flirt with Jean Grey. Somehow, Marsden keeps ending up as the second choice, even when his characters haven’t done much to deserve it.
His big break came when he was cast as Cyclops in X-Men, but he soon proved he could do more than play the serious superhero. In Hairspray (2007), he played Corny Collins, the cheerful host of a television dance show, giving audiences a chance to hear him sing. He also starred opposite Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses (2008), where he finally got to play the romantic lead. For once, Marsden wasn’t competing with another guy for the girl, and he got to show off a different side of his romantic-comedy charm.
Marsden’s television work has given him the chance to take on some stranger roles. In Westworld, he played Teddy Flood, a man who discovers his entire life has been scripted for someone else’s entertainment. Jury Duty let him make fun of his own celebrity status, playing an obnoxious version of himself who expects special treatment during jury selection (via TheWrap). The performance earned him an Emmy nomination (via Television Academy). In Paradise, Marsden played President Cal Bradford, whose murder sets off the show’s central mystery. His upcoming projects include some familiar characters and a few types of roles we haven’t seen him tackle before.
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Avengers: Doomsday
December 18, 2026
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James Marsden is returning as Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, in Avengers: Doomsday, arriving in theaters on December 18, 2026. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the movie brings together the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men to face Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. Marsden is reuniting with several actors from the original X-Men movies, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto (via D23). Seeing Marsden back as Cyclops alongside the other original X-Men should be a nostalgic moment for fans who grew up with those movies.
Marsden first played Cyclops in X-Men (2000), but his character never really received the attention he deserved. Despite being the team’s leader, Scott often took a backseat to Wolverine, and X-Men: The Last Stand killed him off early in the story. Marsden briefly returned in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), but it wasn’t much of a reunion. In Doomsday, Marsden will finally get to wear a Cyclops costume that looks more like the one fans know from the comics, something the original X-Men movies never gave him (via People).
Marsden has admitted that returning as Cyclops was emotional, especially after so many years away from the role. In a July 2026 interview with Extra, he talked about finally wearing a costume closer to the comics and getting to use Cyclops’ optic blasts again. How much screen time he’ll have in Doomsday remains unknown, but fans who remember how little the original movies did with Scott Summers have good reason to hope he’ll get a bigger role this time.
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Sonic The Hedgehog 4
March 19, 2027
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James Marsden is returning as Tom Wachowski in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, arriving in theaters on March 19, 2027 (via Variety). When Tom first met Sonic (Ben Schwartz) in the 2020 movie, he was a small-town sheriff trying to figure out what to do with a talking blue hedgehog. Three movies later, Sonic is pretty much apart of the family, with Tom and his wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter), looking after him. Tom has also gotten used to dealing with the trouble Sonic attracts, even if he’s usually the only one without superpowers.
The ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) introduced Amy Rose, voiced by Kristen Bell, who saves Sonic from an army of robotic versions of himself known as Metal Sonics (via Variety). Jeff Fowler is returning to direct, although the fourth movie’s plot is still under wraps. Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves are also reprising their roles as Dr. Robotnik and Shadow, respectively.
There’s still no word on what Tom will be doing this time. In the third movie, his near-fatal injuries push Sonic toward revenge against Shadow, showing how important their relationship remains. Hopefully, Marsden will have more to do in the fourth film.
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Disavowed
To Be Announced
James Marsden will star as Brad Griffin, a CIA agent who gets fired while investigating the murder of a colleague, in Apple TV’s Disavowed (via Apple). Griffin knows someone has put a $15 million bounty on the assassin’s head, and he’s determined to collect it himself. The problem is that he’s no longer working for the CIA, meaning he’ll have to find the killer without the agency’s intelligence, protection, or resources.
The series was created by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who previously worked on Iron Man (2008). Norman Reedus and Bokeem Woodbine are also part of the cast, while Breaking Bad director Michelle MacLaren will direct the first two episodes (via Deadline). Marsden is also an executive producer. Apple hasn’t announced a premiere date.
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An Innocent Girl
To Be Announced
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James Marsden is joining Kerry Washington and Chloe East in An Innocent Girl, an upcoming Netflix psychological thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Carry-On). The film follows a young woman who becomes involved with a powerful couple in Washington, D.C. Their affair takes a deadly turn when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation. Marsden’s role hasn’t been revealed, so it’s unclear whether he’s part of the couple or connected to the investigation.
Colman Domingo and Kim Dickens also star, with Michael Mohan and Marc Guggenheim writing the screenplay. Marsden previously played President Cal Bradford in Paradise, although it’s unclear whether his character in An Innocent Girl will have any political connections. Filming has wrapped, and the movie is now in post-production. Netflix has yet to announce a release date for the series featuring James Marsden.
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