The X-Men movie franchise is moving into a whole new era, with a reboot film set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU X-Men movie has been one of the hottest new projects in Hollywood, drawing in a whole lineup of both young, up-and-coming actors and some veteran stars. Then, there are a few cases where this new MCU X-Men film will be introducing some new young stars, including Maya Boyd, a young actress whom few people have seen onscreen, who will be taking on the iconic role of Ororo Munroe, the X-Men member known as Storm.
Boyd will be the third actress to play Storm in a live-action X-Men film: Alexandra Shipp played a younger Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2, and Dark Phoenix, but the most famous movie version of Storm was played by Halle Berry in the original X-Men movie trilogy. Well, Ms. Berry has heard word of a new Storm coming to the big screen, and she has words about it to share with the world.
Halle Berry was interviewed by PEOPLE and was asked about the new era of X-Men movies that is taking shape, and specifically how she feels about Maya Boyd taking on the role of Storm. “I believe she’s going to kill it,” Berry said. “I wish her so well. I very much look forward to seeing what her version will be. I’m sure she’s going to murder it.”
It feels good and wholesome to see a veteran like Halle Berry openly endorsing a younger actress like Maya Boyd. Berry had no ill feelings toward Alexandra Shipp when she took over the role of Storm, and that transition was much quicker. Berry last played Storm in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) before the role was recast for X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). For her part, Shipp made it very clear that she personally has no ambition to play Storm in the MCU, and fully endorses whoever takes over the role:
“You know, what’s kind of funny is no. Yeah. I’m not interested [in returning],” Shipp told ET a few years back. “The thing is… I feel like I’ve done what I needed to do with Storm, and I think that there are other women who could take on that role and really kill it, and I support that. But for me, I just feel like I’m at a different place in my life.”
Maya Boyd has two short film roles on her resume, as well as three major stage productions. The X-Men reboot will be her first major feature film; that said, Marvel Studios seems to be locked into star-making mode once again. After seeing Sadie Sink nail her role as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (a casting that not every fan believed in), we feel confident the right choices are being made for the new X-Men cast. In addition to Sink and Boyd as Jean Grey and Storm, Kit Connor will play Cyclops, Inde Navarrette will play Rogue, Samara Weaving is Emma Frost, and Christopher Abbott will play Charles Xavier. Adam Driver has been cast as X-Men villain Mister Sinister.
X-Men will be in theaters on May 5, 2028.
