Marvel Studios has reportedly selected Australian actor Samara Weaving to portray Emma Frost in its upcoming X-Men reboot, marking a major step forward in assembling the franchise’s new team of mutants.
According to Deadline, director Jake Schreier and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige chose Weaving after an extensive casting process that included multiple actresses auditioning for the coveted role.
Marvel Studios declined to comment on the reported casting.
The report states that the search for Emma Frost was among the most exhaustive in the film’s casting process, with several actors testing for the role shortly after the Fourth of July holiday.
Following the auditions, Weaving reportedly emerged as the preferred choice.
Emma Frost first appeared in Marvel Comics in the 1980s as a powerful telepathic mutant.
Originally introduced as a villain, the character later evolved into one of the X-Men’s most prominent members.
On the big screen, Emma Frost was previously portrayed by January Jones in 2011’s X-Men: First Class.
Although Marvel Studios did not unveil any X-Men updates during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con Hall H presentation, the project has steadily gained momentum behind the scenes.
Jake Schreier was announced as director earlier this year, while Lee Sung Jin, creator of Beef, and Joanna Calo, co-creator of The Bear, have been brought on to write the screenplay.
The reboot is one of Marvel’s most anticipated projects since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, bringing the X-Men film rights under the Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella.
The reported casting caps off a successful year for Weaving.
She returned earlier this year in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, reprising her role as Grace MacCauley in the sequel to the 2019 horror hit.
The film received a strong audience response and performed well following its digital release.
Weaving also starred alongside Jason Segel in IFC’s Over Your Dead Body, which won the Audience Award at SXSW, before appearing in the romantic crime thriller Carolina Caroline, which earned positive reviews, including recognition as a New York Times Critics’ Pick.
If confirmed, Weaving would become one of the first major casting announcements for Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated new X-Men era, though the studio has yet to officially reveal its mutant lineup.
