could have found another member of its new X-Men team. Actor Ben Wang, who is set to appear in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, has reportedly entered talks to play Iceman in the studio’s upcoming X-Men reboot. If the deal goes through, we will have our Bobby Drake.
The casting report was first published by Deadline on 2 November and was also reported by Variety. However, the deal has not been finalised, and Marvel has not officially confirmed the news. Other actors, including Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly and Rhenzy Feliz, reportedly tested for the role.
Ben Wang is an actor who has steadily built his profile through television and films over the past few years. He is best known for playing Jin Wang in Disney+ American Born Chinese, based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel.
He also appeared in the 2024 musical comedy Mean Girls and the film Chang Can Dunk. His film credits include The Long Walk, the Stephen King adaptation directed by Francis Lawrence, and Karate Kid: Legends, in which he played the lead character Li Fong.
Wang is also in the upcoming , where he plays Wyatt Callow, a tribute from District 12. The film is a prequel set 24 years before the events of the original The Hunger Games and is scheduled to release on 20 November, 2026.
His possible casting as Iceman would mark another major franchise role for the actor, following his lead performance in Karate Kids: Legends.
Iceman, whose real name is Bobby Drake, is one of the founding members of the X-Men in . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1 in September 1963.
Bobby is a mutant who can generate and control ice and cold. His powers, known as cryokinesis, allow him to freeze objects, create ice structures and transform his own body into ice. Although he is often known for his humour and easy-going , the comics have also explored the full extent of his abilities, establishing him as one of the more powerful mutants.
In the earlier live-action X-Men films, the character was played by Shawn Ashmore. He appeared in films including X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Marvel’s upcoming X-Men is being directed by Jake Schreier, who previously helmed . The screenplay is written by Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo, with Marvel president Kevin Feige producing.
The reported cast includes as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops (Scott Summers), Samara Weaving (Emma Frost), Indi Navarrette as Rogue (Anna Marie, Maya Boyd as Storm (Ororo Munroe), Asa Germann as Angel (Warren Kenneth Worthington II), Christopher Abbott as Professor X (Charles Xavier), and as Mr Sinister.
According to recent reports, Morgan Spector is also in the talks to play Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr).
The film is currently scheduled to release in cinemas on 5 May, 2028.
