Samara Weaving ‘lands X-Men role in Marvel reboot’

Samara Weaving has reportedly joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Australian actress, 34, is said to be set to play Emma Frost in Marvel Studios’ long-awaited reboot of The X-Men.

Famed for her role in Ready or Not, Variety reports Samara is set to take on the role of the powerful telepath, a character whose journey in Marvel Comics has seen her evolve from one of the X-Men’s most formidable villains into one of their most complex heroes.

The casting news follows Marvel Studios’ major Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, where the studio also announced that Ryan Gosling will play Ghost Rider and revealed Alien: Romulus star David Jonsson has been cast as the new Black Panther in Black Panther 3.

The announcements come as Marvel looks to rebuild momentum after Captain America: Brave New World and The Fantastic Four: First Steps underperformed at the box office, while Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to reverse the trend after opening to record-breaking figures. Sony distributes the Spider-Man films.

Samara, who has become one of Hollywood’s leading scream queens thanks to films including Ready or Not, The Babysitter and Scream VI, most recently starred in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and Over Your Dead Body.

She has also appeared in the Oscar-winning drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and the comedy sequel Bill and Ted Face the Music.

Emma Frost has long been one of Marvel’s most popular mutant characters, best known for her formidable telepathic abilities and her ability to transform her body into organic diamond.

Introduced as an adversary of the X-Men, the character later became one of the team’s most influential leaders in the comics, making her one of the franchise’s most layered figures.

Marvel’s reboot of The X-Men will be directed by Jake Schreier, following his work on Thunderbolts.

The film marks the studio’s first standalone X-Men project since Disney completed its acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, bringing the mutant characters fully under the Marvel Studios banner after years outside the MCU.

Before then, audiences will see familiar mutant faces return in Avengers: Doomsday, with Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and James Marsden reprising their roles from Fox’s X-Men franchise in the crossover event.

Marvel is undergoing a wider overhaul of its upcoming slate following the Comic-Con showcase, as the studio prepares to expand its mutant storylines after years of anticipation from fans.