Well, Marvel Studios may have just lost its Beast.
Charles Melton, who had been heavily linked to playing Hank McCoy in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot, has reportedly passed on the role. If the report is accurate, the change could also throw a wrench into Marvel’s plans to unveil the movie’s full mutant lineup at D23.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, Melton has walked away from playing Beast after weeks of reports connecting him to the character. Richtman also claims that the full X-Men cast reveal that had been expected for D23 may no longer happen as originally planned.
That’s a pretty significant shift considering previous reports made Melton’s involvement sound much further along.
Industry insider MyTimeToShineHello previously reported that Melton “has indeed closed his deal to star in X-Men,” making it sound like Marvel had already locked down its Hank McCoy. Apparently, something changed.
Melton is best known to a lot of fans for playing Reggie Mantle on Riverdale, but his career has taken an interesting turn since leaving the series.
His performance in May December earned him serious critical attention, and the 35-year-old Korean-American actor recently picked up two Primetime Emmy nominations for Netflix’s Beef Season 2.
Landing Beast would have put him right in the middle of one of Marvel Studios’ biggest upcoming projects, but if the latest report is correct, the studio is now looking elsewhere.
Personally, I’m fine with that. Melton has shown that he’s a talented actor, but I was never really sold on him as Hank McCoy. Beast is such a specific character, especially if Marvel wants to capture the brilliant scientist, intellectual, athlete, and eventually blue-furred mutant that comic fans know. I just wasn’t seeing Melton as the character.
Maybe he could have surprised me. Actors prove fans wrong about comic book casting all the time. But with Marvel apparently getting another chance to find its Beast, I’m interested to see who else they might bring in.
The reported casting change also leaves another important hole in a lineup that is already beginning to take shape.
Jake Schreier is directing the X-Men reboot, and three members of the mutant team are currently said to be confirmed. Samara Weaving will play Emma Frost, Kit Connor is set to portray Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, and Sadie Sink will reprise Jean Grey.
There have been several other names connected to the project as Marvel assembles its new generation of mutants. A previous casting roundup had seven major X-Men roles either confirmed or rumored.
Beast is especially interesting because Hank McCoy was part of the original X-Men lineup when the team debuted in Marvel Comics in 1963. The first team consisted of Beast, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, and Angel under Professor Charles Xavier.
Recent reports have also suggested that Angel and Iceman could appear in the reboot. If those rumors prove accurate, Marvel may be moving toward a version of the team heavily influenced by that original comic book roster.
That could be a cool direction. The X-Men movies have introduced a ridiculous number of mutants over the years, but the franchise has never really given audiences a proper cinematic version of the original five working together as a team.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions surrounding the rest of the cast. Adam Driver has been rumored for an unspecified villain role, while Cailee Spaeny has been linked to Rogue. Neither casting has been officially announced by Marvel Studios.
And now the big question is whether Marvel will actually be ready to pull back the curtain at D23. If Melton really was expected to be part of a larger cast presentation, losing him this close to the event could explain why plans might be changing.
Marvel could still announce the actors it already has locked down, of course, or the studio could find another Beast in time. It’s also possible the rumored full-cast presentation gets pushed to another event entirely.
For now, Marvel Studios hasn’t officially commented on Melton reportedly passing on Beast, nor has it confirmed any changes to its D23 plans.
We also still don’t have a release date for X-Men. Marvel has previously indicated that the reboot will arrive sometime after Avengers: Secret Wars, putting the mutants firmly into the MCU’s post-Multiverse Saga future.
There’s a lot riding on this movie. This isn’t simply another Marvel franchise getting rebooted. The X-Men are one of the biggest superhero properties on the planet, and fans have been waiting years to see what Marvel Studios will do with them.
If finding the right Beast means going back to the casting board, I’m good with it. Melton wasn’t my pick for Hank McCoy anyway. Now I’m curious to see who Marvel has waiting in the wings, because whoever lands the part could be playing the brilliant blue mutant for a very long time.
