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Published Oct 1, 2026, 11:23 AM EDT
Willa Rowe is a contributing writer at Polygon, covering games and entertainment. She is a New York-based journalist and critic whose work has been featured in Kotaku, Digital Trends, the A.V. Club, GamesRadar+, and more. She also co-hosts the Girl Mode podcast.
Christopher Abbott doesn't think he'll be psychic by the time X-Men comes out, but he's getting pretty close
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When preparing for a role, actors often talk about getting into their character's head. It makes sense that you'd want to feel like you understand how someone thinks in order to portray them in a believable manner. But to play the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Professor X, Christopher Abbott is practicing getting into other people's heads.
Marvel announced during San Diego Comic-Con that Abbott would be taking on the role of Charles Xavier for its reboot of the X-Men. Filming for the project is likely to begin next year, and the movie is set to be released on May 5, 2028. But Abbott is already hard at work preparing for the role. Talking to Josh Horowitz on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Abbott shared that while he won't go method and try to fully become psychic, he has dabbled in remote viewing.
"This is going to make me seem like a crazy person," Abbott said. He explained that while he can't read minds, he did perform an exercise where a friend drew a picture while in a house on Long Island and Abbott tried to copy it using mental powers. He didn't get the drawing right, but came close to sketching a large painting hanging in the room. "It's all about crystals," Abbott explained, noting it would take about 30 minutes to tell the full story of his attempts to push the limits of human consciousness.
What we know about the MCU's X-Men reboot
Image: DisneyAfter years of anticipation, Marvel is finally set to bring the X-Men into the MCU in 2028. Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is helming the project and is teaming up with frequent collaborators Joanna Calo and Lee Sung Jin on the script. Sadie Sink debuted as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and will reprise her role for the X-Men film.
Sink took to the stage at SDCC this year alongside Marvel boss Kevin Feige to reveal some of the film's additional cast. Alongside Abbott, Marvel also announced Kit Connor as Cyclops, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister. It has also been reported that Samara Weaving will play Emma Frost and Asa Germann will portray Angel.
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