Bill Skarsgård Addresses X-Men Casting Rumors And His Interest In A Major DC Comics Superhero Role

Marvel Studios is gearing up to unleash "Avengers: Doomsday" in 2026. Meanwhile, the studio is preparing to reintroduce us to the X-Men, with a reboot film overseen by "Thunderbolts*" director Jake Schreier, which has already cast some impressive talent ahead of its 2028 debut. One actor who won't be in the film, however is Bill Skarsgård, who was supposedly in contention for the role of Charles Xavier but has now downplayed his connection to the movie following the official casting of Christopher Abbott.

Back in July 2026, industry insider Jeff Sneider reported that Skarsgård and "Ozark" actor Tom Pelphrey (who also played Ward Meachum in Netflix's "Iron Fist" series) were up for the part. None of this was ever officially confirmed, however, and in August 2026, we learned that Marvel had cast "Kraven the Hunter" star Christopher Abbott as Charles Xavier, confirming that Skarsgård wouldn't be making his MCU debut with the X-Men movie. He does, however, quite like the idea of appearing as John Constantine in James Gunn's DC Universe.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the "It" star played down his involvement with the X-Men movie. 

"I didn't read any scripts. It's Jake [Schreier], right?" he said. "I had a meeting with him, and I liked him. But no, it hasn't been close on a big [role]." But the actor did express an interest in another superhero role. "I thought Constantine was cool," he added. "I had an idea that Andy Muschietti and I could do Constantine. I just thought that it [would blend] truly visual horror and superhero. It's a cool thing." 

Luckily for Skarsgård, it seems DC Studios is in the early stages of developing a new Constantine movie.

Roger Ebert might have hated Keanu Reeves' "Constantine" in 2005, but fans have long been waiting for a sequel. Now, however, it appears DC Studios will reinvent the character for a new generation.

Per Deadline, Francis Galluppi will write a new "Constantine" movie for the studio. The writer/director previously produced, wrote, and directed the 2023 crime thriller "The Last Stop in Yuma County," and is now working on the upcoming "Evil Dead Wrath," a prequel to the bloody good time that was 2026's "Evil Dead Burn." He's received praise from franchise creator Sam Raimi, who described Galluppi as "a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence."

Created by writer Alan Moore and artists Steve Bissette and John Totleben, John Constantine first appeared in 1985's "The Saga of the Swamp Thing" #37. The British detective and exorcist is known for his incongruous mix of cynicism and deep commitment to helping those in need, and it seems Bill Skarsgård is eager to put his spin on the character.

While Galliuppi works on his script, there's no word from DC Studios on who might star in the film. But Skarsgård's idea of teaming up with his "It" director Andy Muschietti isn't a bad shout. The pair obviously have the horror bonafides, and Skarsgård seems perfect for the role of a conflicted anti-hero with a supernatural element. For now, we'll have to wait to see whether Galluppi's script works out and whether DC Studios also brings him on as director. But studio co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran would do well to at least consider Skarsgård's vision.