Ben Wang is reportedly in talks to play Iceman in Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men movie, a deal that would bring one of the team's founding members to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 29-year-old actor would take on the role of Bobby Drake, the mutant who can generate and control ice and cold.
Deadline reports that Wang has entered talks for the role, with the deal yet to close. Representatives for Marvel Studios could not be reached for comment, and the studio has not confirmed the casting.
Wang was not the only actor in the running for the part. Gabriel LaBelle of The Fabelmans, Jackson Kelly of The Pitt and Rhenzy Feliz of The Penguin also tested for Iceman before Wang emerged as the choice.
Bobby Drake was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in The X-Men #1 in September 1963. He is a founding member of the team, and Shawn Ashmore previously played the character in the X-Men films of the 2000s.
Wang's star has risen quickly in the last two years, with leading roles in Karate Kid: Legends and Disney+'s American Born Chinese among his credits. He also appeared in The Long Walk, and he is next set to appear in the sixth and final season of For All Mankind on Apple TV.
He will soon be seen on the big screen as District 12 tribute Wyatt Callow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. An Iceman deal would add a second major franchise to that run and put him at the center of Marvel's next era.
Should the deal close, Wang would join a cast that already includes Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister and Kit Connor as Cyclops. Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Asa Germann as Angel and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey round out the announced lineup.
Much of that cast was announced at D23 earlier this year, while Sink's casting was revealed in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel and now Iceman in place, Peter Claffey's reported casting as Beast would complete the original five from the comics.
The film is the first X-Men feature produced by Marvel Studios, bringing the mutants fully under the same roof as the Avengers. Principal photography is reportedly set to begin sometime in 2027, with story details still being kept under wraps.
Jake Schreier is directing the film from a script by Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo, with Kevin Feige producing. Marvel Studios' X-Men is slated to open in theaters on May 5, 2028.
