Remember back in April when I reported on The Hot Mic’s scoop that Peter Claffey was "in the mix" for Beast? Well, it looks like the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" star has landed the part.
Knight Edge Media is reporting that the Irish actor has been cast as Hank McCoy/Beast in Marvel Studios' "X-Men" reboot. Of course, Marvel hasn't confirmed anything, and Knight Edge says the studio couldn't be reached for comment. So take it with the usual grain of salt, but this one has been building for six months, and it makes sense.
Then there's Charles Melton. Right after D23, the rumor was that he'd be playing Beast. However, Melton also had to star in Destin Daniel Cretton's live-action "Naruto" movie, and both films are looking at early 2027 shoots. According to Knight Edge, Melton tried to make both work but simply couldn't.
Claffey 6'5" and played professional rugby before he got into acting, so the physicality is already there for Beast. If you saw what Claffey did as Dunk this past winter (a gentle giant who's smarter and sweeter than he looks), you'll understand why Marvel bit. That's basically Hank McCoy.
Kelsey Grammer made the role famous in 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand" and is back for "Avengers: Doomsday" this December. Nicholas Hoult also played a younger, angstier Hank across the "First Class" trilogy.
Here's where we stand. "Thunderbolts" director Jake Schreier is at the helm. Michael Lesslie ("The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes") is scripting from earlier drafts by Aaron Rabin and Zach Dean, before "Beef" creator Lee Sung Jin and "The Bear" co-showrunner Joanna Calo came in for a rewrite. Claffey joins Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm, all of whom were unveiled at D23 in August. And of course Adam Driver is the big bad, Mister Sinister.
As a reminder, this is being billed as the X-Men's real return to the big screen since Disney swallowed Fox in 2019. That franchise ended in a ditch with 2019's "Dark Phoenix," and a fresh start is the right call.
Still no Wolverine, Magneto or Gambit. Production is expected to begin in the UK in early 2027. "X-Men" hits theaters May 5, 2028.
Claffey 6'5" and played professional rugby before he got into acting, so the physicality is already there for Beast. If you saw what Claffey did as Dunk this past winter, you'll understand why Marvel bit.