Peter Claffey Is Reportedly the New Beast, and the X-Men Reboot Is Starting to Take Shape

Photo: Like_the_Grand_Canyon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Knight Edge Media reported on October 25 that Peter Claffey has been cast as Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, in Marvel's X-Men reboot. This is a single-outlet exclusive and Marvel has not confirmed it, so file it under strong rumour. It fits, though. His name was floated as far back as April, and Charles Melton, who was also chasing the part, reportedly dropped out because he could not fit it around the Naruto film.

If you do not know Claffey, he is the Irish actor who plays Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spin-off, and he is very large and very likeable, which is more or less the brief for Hank. The reboot is directed by Jake Schreier, who did Thunderbolts, and the names already attached are Christopher Abbott as Charles Xavier and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister. Filming is expected in the UK in early 2027 and the release date is May 5, 2028.

Schreier has pushed back on casting reports before, so I would not be shocked if this one gets a quiet denial. But the slate of names is starting to feel like a real film, and Driver as Sinister is the one I keep coming back to. Who do you want as Wolverine, or do you think they should leave that chair empty for a while?