Peter Claffey, the Irish actor who plays Ser Duncan the Tall in HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has reportedly been cast as Hank McCoy/Beast in Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot, according to an exclusive report from Knight Edge Media published October 25. Marvel Studios did not respond to a request for comment.
The role was previously in play for Charles Melton, who exited to take the lead in Paramount's live-action Naruto adaptation as Kakashi Hatake. Insider Jeff Sneider had floated Claffey's name as early as April before Knight Edge Media confirmed it. Director Jake Schreier is attached to the film, which is dated May 5, 2028, with production expected to begin in the UK in early 2027.
Claffey joins a cast that has been assembling across the year. Christopher Abbott plays Professor Charles Xavier, Sadie Sink is Jean Grey, Kit Connor takes Cyclops, Samara Weaving is Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette is Rogue, Asa Germann is Angel, and Maya Boyd is Storm. Adam Driver plays Mister Sinister, the film's central villain.
For Claffey, the role follows a fast rise. Before landing the HBO lead, he had supporting work in Bad Sisters and Small Things Like These, the latter alongside Cillian Murphy, whom he has cited as a formative influence. A former professional rugby player who left Connacht Rugby's senior squad in 2019 to pursue acting, he was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow in 2025. Beast's most recent theatrical appearance was Kelsey Grammer's return in Avengers: Doomsday; Nicholas Hoult played a younger version of the character across the X-Men: First Class trilogy.
