MarvelBlog News for July 19th, 2026

We have to talk about the Magneto casting rumor floating around.

Let’s just say that I hate it…and that’s not all I’m going to say.

We’ve got X-Men rumors, Spider-Men news, and a fascinating Lin-Manuel Miranda tidbit.

There’s a lot happening in this week’s MarvelBlog News.

Darth Magneto?

For the past year or so, fans have been clamoring for a Kylo Ren movie.

Iconic director Steven Soderbergh revealed he had written just that film.

Disney, in its infinite wisdom, passed on the project despite actor Adam Driver’s interest.

This seems like a good time to mention that The Mandalorian & Grogu bombed at the box office.

So, Disney appears to have chosen the wrong project and could have used the help.

Anyway, Soderbergh and Driver have told anyone who will listen that they want to do this film.

Disney has flatly said no over and over again. They still like Driver, though.

We can tell this by the new rumor floating around about the X-Men movie.

Apparently, Marvel is casting for the seminal project right now.

To my total disbelief, Driver has emerged as the top choice for Magneto.

Somehow, this isn’t the worst casting idea I’ve heard this week, as we’re about to discuss.

It is a terrible idea, though. I think I could list 100 actors I’d prefer.

Weirdly, I like Driver as an actor, especially in Soderberg’s Logan Lucky.

Magneto should be stylish and ferocious, though. Driver is…not that.

If anything, the struggles of the latest Star Wars trilogy lessen him as a villain.

The Casting Rumor Mill Is Spinning

We already know he took a big swing and whiffed. Why would Disney want him for this?

Importantly, I should clarify that this should just be taken as a rumor for now.

However, the story quickly became so ubiquitous that I had to discuss it.

I’m hoping this one proves as accurate as all the Fantastic Four casting rumors.

We probably spent more time discussing fantasy casting than the film itself.

Along those lines, rumors are also flying about the other X-Men in the film.

So, I suspect that history is about to repeat itself.

We’ll probably spend the next three months debating who Marvel may pick.

I wish the system didn’t work that way, but there’s only one hope here.

Maybe Marvel has already cast the entire film, and we’re just finding out?

I wouldn’t rule it out if the X-Men play a major part in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Spider-Man News

We are officially two weeks away from the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

I’ve actually got tickets for July 30^th and hope to post a review over on MickeyBlog that night.

As the marketing campaign ramps up, various spoilers are leaking everywhere.

Marvel’s international trailers are revealing stuff that the American ones aren’t.

For example, here’s a Portuguese one of The Punisher asking Peter Parker if he’s blushing:

And here’s one of Peter Parker asking The Punisher if he’s afraid of a fight:

If the rest of the movie is that funny, we’re in business.

We also just learned that the film is two hours and 15 minutes.

So, you can expect to be in the theater for about two hours and 45 minutes.

Beyond that, I could tell you a few more things, but it’s starting to get too spoiler-y.

Let’s just say that you will want to watch the movie on opening weekend.

Otherwise, you WILL get spoiled…possibly by me. I apologize for nothing.

The Musical Vulture

I’m mentioning this one for two reasons: 1) Moana is out in theaters.

2) My wife reads this article and loves Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Hamilton creator is also an actor if you didn’t know and a gifted one at that.

A few years ago, Sony offered Miranda one of the juiciest roles it had.

The artist recently revealed that he was a top choice for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Had Miranda accepted Sony and Marvel’s offer, he would have played a villain.

Specifically, he would have played THE villain, The Vulture.

Yes, the role that Michael Keaton mastered and added gravitas wasn’t supposed to be his.

This is a blueprint example of timing being everything in Hollywood.

Hamilton debuted on Broadway in 2015 and quickly became a sensation.

Casting for Spider-Man: Homecoming started soon afterward.

Keaton wouldn’t accept the role of The Vulture until May 2016.

Before that, someone at Sony/Marvel watched Hamilton and drew the wrong conclusion.

Even though Miranda is the hero of the place, somebody thought, “What a villain!”

Yes, Alexander Hamilton was a notorious jerk, but that’s not how Miranda played him.

So, this entire story baffles me in terms of how it would have played out.

Miranda possesses one of the kindest faces in Hollywood. Maybe he could have used that?

I guess it would have been disorienting for him to turn around and bully a teenager.

You can watch the interview here. I’ve time-stamped it to the right moment:

According to the artist, he would have had no break after Hamilton.

Filming would have started as soon as he ended his Broadway role. So, he declined.

To his credit, Miranda gushes over Keaton’s performance. It definitely all worked out for the best.

 

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, an EarMarked By Disney – Authorized Travel Agency – Diamond Level, will be in touch soon!