ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Adam Driver will make a long-anticipated entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play super villain Mister Sinister, and “Obsession” breakout star Inde Navarette will play Rogue in Disney ‘s forthcoming film reboot of “X-Men.”
Driver and Navarette were among the new cast members announced Friday night at Disney’s D23 convention by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, along with Driver’s “Girls” castmate Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier and Maya Boyd as Storm. The film is slated for release in May 2028.
The announcements were the biggest news to emerge from Disney Entertainment’s D23 presentation that also brought updates on its forthcoming “Star Wars” titles and a song-and-dance that went sideways from the stars of “Frozen 3.”
Driver’s name was often rumored and often dismissed as an “X-Men” possibility. Many thought he’d be playing the antihero Magneto. The rest of the cast appeared on stage at the Honda Center arena in Anaheim, California, while Driver appeared on a big screen.
“Kevin and I had been talking for years about my joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I think we finally found the perfect film,” Driver told the crowd of 12,000 via video. “So I’m very excited to be playing the role of Maaagneto!” he said before pausing, taking it back and saying, “even better, Nathaniel Millbury,” an alias for Mister Sinister.
Also on stage were previously announced cast members Samara Weaving, who is playing Emma Frost; Kit Connor, who is playing Scott “Cyclops” Summers; and Sadie Sink, whose role as Jean Grey was revealed by her appearance in this summer’s Marvel megahit “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
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The castmates were as new to each other as they were to the fans.
“They’ve just met backstage for the very first time,” Feige said.
Navarette had also been heavily rumored to have a role after fast becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors for her striking performance as a spellbound girlfriend in the indie horror hit “Obsessed” earlier this year.
The “X-Men” joining the MCU became possible with Disney’s 2019 acquisition of Fox’s film studio.
Director Jake Schreier is heading the reboot. and two writers from prestige TV — “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin and “The Bear” co-showrunner Joanna Calo — are working on the script.
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Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy headlined the “Star Wars” part of the night with a presentation on their film “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is getting a May, 2027 release.
Gosling’s appearance on stage was preceded by clips of him as a child cast member of “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
“I owe a lot to Disney,” Gosling said. “Had they not looked far and wide and come to my hometown I would not be here today. Now, 30 years later, I’m back and it’s changing my life again.”
Shawn Levy put on Gosling a leather jacket with his “Star Wars” character Kade Auberon’s skull-and-bones symbol.
Gosling described Auberon as “a guy from the wrong side of the galaxy, whose fate is intertwined with the fastest starfighter ever built,” before showing clips from the film.
Disney announced earlier this summer at its San Diego Comic-Con presentation that Gosling will play the character Ghost Rider in the MCU, first in a “Black Panther” sequel, then in a “Ghost Rider” film that Levy will also direct. Both are set for release in 2028.
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“Star Wars: Ahsoka” star Rosario Dawson also appeared to promote the Season 2 return of her Disney+ series, as did Hayden Christensen, who will return as a force-ghost version of her mentor Anakin Skywalker.
Marvel veterans also took the D23 stage as past and future “Avengers” stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Hayley Atwell introduced a new trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday,” to be released Dec. 18.
The footage shows Downey, now playing Dr. Doom having shed his Iron Man suit, beating back Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and his hammer, and shows Evans, who is returning as Captain America, holding a baby. And it shows Ian McKellan as a long-haired, haggard, struggling version of Magneto.
Hugh Jackman appeared on the big screen to tell Feige he’s willing to appear in “Doomsday” as Wolverine. Whether he’ll be in the movie has led to heated fan speculation. His answer wasn’t definitive, but most bets are now switching to yes.
Fans also got a glimpse of the soon-to-drop Disney+ series “Visionquest.” Paul Bettany, who returns to his Marvel role as Vision, and James Spader, who returns to playing Ultron, showed a trailer with oddly human and ordinary versions of their cybernetic characters. Bettany said it’s been a pleasure to play multiple versions of Vision, who has “rather inconveniently died several times.” But, he said, “I’m told in the Marvel Universe that no one is ever really dead.”
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Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel sang an eerie new arrangement of “Frozen Heart” from their first film playing princess sisters Elsa and Anna as they introduced the forthcoming “Frozen 3.”
Or they tried to, anyway. The segment was plagued with malfunctioning audio, video, and a set of doors that failed to open.
They ad-libbed their way through it like pros.
“Should we go back and try it again?” Menzel asked at the song’s end.
Bell described for the crowd everything that was supposed to happen and said, “You guys were gonna freak out.”
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They found their way back to the script.
“Doesn’t it kind of feel like the world of Frozen is a bit different?” Bell said. Menzel added, “Maybe a little bit more mysterious?”
“Yes, OK, we’re back on track,” Bell said, to big laughs.
Their castmate Josh Gad followed with a rendition of “Oooh, Samantha,” a love song his snowman character Olaf will sing in “Frozen 3.”
The night’s other big musical set pieces included songs and dance from the cast of “The Greatest Showman,” the stage musical adaptation of the 2017 Jackman film that is premiering on London’s West End next year.
