Entertainment

‘Riverdale’ Star Officially Confirms ‘X-Men’ Audition Status

Nairavoice · Nov 5, 2026 · 5 min read

Marvel fans are boiling over with excitement for the franchise’s return to the big screen for Avengers: Doomsday, but there are plenty of other Marvel films lined up on the release schedule in the works. The next film after Doomsday is Avengers: Secret Wars, which will set the stage for a reset into a new saga, with new characters and new direction similar to what the franchise experienced at the start of the Multiverse Saga.

Marvel currently has three movies scheduled to be released in 2028, starting with the currently untitled X-Men movie hitting the screen on May 5, followed by Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy‘s Ghost Rider movie, which lands on July 28. Lastly, Black Panther 3, starring Denzel Washington and David Jonsson, will be released later in the year on December 15.

The most exciting of these new releases for most fans is Marvel’s new X-Men movie, which will be the first fresh reboot with new actors playing the characters in years. Earlier this year at D23, Marvel officially announced part of its X-Men cast, including Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister, Christopher Abbott as Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarette as Rogue, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Kit Connor as Scott Summers. It was announced this week that Ben Wang will also play Iceman, and Asa Germann has been cast as Angel.

There will almost certainly be more names announced for Marvel’s X-Men movie before the film hits theaters in 2028, but at the time of writing, those are the only names attached to roles in the film. Jake Schreier, who recently helmed Thunderbolts* for Marvel, is set to direct the film with a script from Joanna Calo and Lee Sung Jin. While we’re also poised to hear about new cast members over the next few years, we’ll also be hearing about actors who auditioned for roles but didn’t get them. Collider can exclusively reveal one of the first additions to this group, as we’ve learned that KJ Apa, who will be seen this weekend in Jimmy, auditioned for a role in Marvel’s X-Men reboot but did not get it.

During an exclusive interview with Collider’s Maggie Lovitt for Jimmy, Apa commented on Lovitt’s X-Men decor, complimenting her collection and saying, “I didn’t get that one, but that’s fine.” When Lovitt followed up, saying that there could be a role for him down the line, Apa confirmed that he “already tested for it. I didn’t get it.”

You show up for the small stuff nobody is watching.
You joke through fear rather than letting it stop you.
You take the loss personally, every time.

Tom Holland was introduced mid-fight in Civil War in 2016, with no origin story needed.
No Way Home passed 1.9 billion dollars and became the biggest release of the pandemic era.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in 2026, his fourth solo outing in the MCU.

You work the problem legally first and physically second.
You hold a line you have genuinely wanted to cross.
You take the cases nobody else will touch.

Charlie Cox’s 2015 series opened with a one-take hallway fight that reset the bar for
TV action.
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin crossed into Hawkeye and Echo before the two reunited
on screen.
Daredevil: Born Again brought the pair back, and a second season followed in 2026.

You solve it with the thing you built last night.
You would rather be useful than liked.
You have a contingency for the contingency.

The 2008 film launched the entire MCU on a casting choice the studio considered a real risk.
Much of Robert Downey Jr.’s dialogue was improvised, the closing line included.
Announcing himself at that press conference threw out the secret-identity rulebook for a
decade of films.

You finish what you start, with no appetite for ceremony.
You keep your circle small and your mission smaller.
You accept being the villain in somebody else’s telling.

Jon Bernthal arrived in Daredevil’s second season in 2016 and earned a two-season show
of his own.
The character was created in 1974 by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, as a
Spider-Man antagonist.
Bernthal returned in Born Again, with a Disney+ special following on from it.

You go first, and loudly.
You take the lesson, eventually.
You are the morale of the room as much as its muscle.

Chris Hemsworth nearly missed the part. His brother Liam got further in the process at
first.
Taika Waititi’s Ragnarok reinvented the character through heavy on-set improvisation.
Hemsworth has headlined four Thor films, from 2011 through to 2022.

You say the unpopular thing in the room where it costs you.
You hold the plan together when it starts coming apart.
You get back up. That is the whole trick.

Chris Evans turned the role down more than once before finally taking it.
The Winter Soldier recast the series as a political thriller and is still held up as its
best.
Anthony Mackie took over the shield and led Brave New World in 2025.

Here’s Who’s Still Missing From Marvel’s X-Men Reboot

While Apa didn’t reveal who he auditioned to play in Marvel’s X-Men reboot, he certainly fits the dashing profile required to play Gambit, who has still not been cast in the film. X-Men voice actor Chris Potter recently shared with Collider that he felt Austin Butler would be a good fit for the role. Also missing from Marvel’s X-Men lineup right now is Magneto, who is likely to appear in some capacity, especially considering the nature of his relationship with Charles Xavier, who is already cast with Christopher Abbott. Nightcrawler has also not been cast in Marvel’s new X-Men movie yet, but Alan Cumming is set to return to the role in Doomsday this year.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Marvel’s X-Men reboot.