Rumor: Marvel Studios Wants Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson For Role Of Apocalypse In Upcoming ‘X-Men’ Reboot
According the latest – and admittedly hard to believe – whisper surrounding the ever-desperate cinematic franchise, not only will Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot feature an appearance from the fan-favorite villain Apocalypse, but their current top pick for the role is none other than wrestler-turned-actor-turned-regretful-political-activist Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
This latest in a string of bizarre and unfortunate rumors surrounding the mutant superteam’s next cinematic outing was first raised to the public on May 7th, courtesy of a post shared by noted scooper MyTimeToShineHello – whose positive track record regarding Marvel scoops is admittedly the only reason the leak has been given any credence whatsoever – to their paid Instagram and Twitter subscribers.
Unfortunately for those curious, outside of the Marvel’s interest in having The People’s Champion portray The Mutant’s Messiah, the scooper was unable to provide any additional story or production details regarding Apocalypse’s potential cinematic return.
Interestingly, should Johnson actually step into the boots of En Sabbah Nur, it would mark his second time playing an all-powerful, Middle Eastern-based, and muscle-bound supervillain in a comic book film, his first having obviously been his brief outing as the titular lead in DC’s Black Adam.
And while it’s currently unknown whether his previous appearance in the skies of Kandaq played any part in inspiring Marvel to supposedly consider him for Apocalypse – or, for that matter, whether he’s actually even being considered – given the absolute lack of creativity currently seen across both the MCU and Hollywood overall, it would ultimately come as no surprise if it turned out that it did.
RELATED RUMOR: Marvel Studios’ Upcoming ‘X-Men’ Reboot To Center On Female Mutants, Feature Mr. Sinister As Villain
As noted above, this rumor regarding Johnson’s supposed attachment to the X-Men‘s planned MCU debut is but the latest in a string of whispers that have, to say the least, failed to inspire confidence in the upcoming reboot.
The first came in July 2022 when, in their coverage of Marvel Studios’ appearance at that year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Deadline, following a conversation with their insider sources, suggested that the franchise’s first X-film would avoid using its gendered team name as its title in favor of the more inclusive The Mutants.
In December 2023, scooper Daniel ‘DanielRPK’ Richtman alleged that, per his own sources, the film would not only be leaving Magneto out of its cast, a move apparently being made in order to try and differentiate itself from the previous Fox X-series, but its narrative would also be focused squarely on the team’s female members.
Following up his initial scoop in May 2024, Richtman would later reiterate that Marvel Studios was not only still intent on having the film center on those mutants of the fairer sex, but that they were also seeking to have its walk a careful line between drama and, unfortunately, comedy.
As of writing, Marvel Studios has yet to offer any official word regarding their potential X-Men reboot.
Meanwhile, their next Mutant-centric project, Deadpool & Wolverine, is currently slated to teleport into theaters on July 26th.
NEXT: Marvel Studios Wants To Follow ‘X-Men ’97’ With ‘Spider-Man: The Animated Series’ Revival
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