Inde Navarrette Met X-Men Director, Eyes Mystique
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- Inde Navarrette confirmed on Variety's "Up Next" podcast that she recently met with Jake Schreier, the director of Marvel's upcoming "X-Men" film who previously helmed "Thunderbolts."
- Navarrette praised Schreier's "Thunderbolts" for the character-driven storytelling she grew up loving in Fox's original 2000s "X-Men" movies, saying she "couldn't stop gushing" about his work on the film.
- Navarrette tempered expectations about any casting deal, noting many of her recent meetings are exploratory: "Not all of those meetings turn into projects, but sometimes it's just, 'I really want to work with you.'"
- Navarrette teased Mystique as a character of interest, saying "Mystique has always been super cool," though she stopped short of confirming any role offer.
- "Obsession" earned over $400 million from a small budget, per the source, fueling Navarrette's surge of industry meetings since its release.
- Legacy "X-Men" actors — Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming, and Rebecca Romijn (who played Mystique) — will appear in "Avengers: Doomsday" this December before Marvel resets with a younger X-Men lineup in Schreier's film after "Secret Wars" in 2027.
- Sadie Sink is presumed to be among the new X-Men leads as Jean Gray following her introduction in Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
Why it matters: After "Obsession" crossed $400 million on a small budget, Navarrette joins a short list of new actors being courted for Marvel's post-"Secret Wars" reboot, where the Mystique role is currently held by Rebecca Romijn in the legacy lineup. A casting here would signal Kevin Feige's intent to recast iconic mutants with a younger generation before Doomsday's December bow.
