X-Men Reboot‘s Cyclops star almost lost the role to another popular actor. In a recent interview, American journalist and scooper Jeff Sneider revealed the name of the actor who auditioned for the mutant’s role and nearly got the part.
Sitting with John Rocha for an episode of The Hot Mic, Sneider stated that Asa Butterfield was the runner-up actor for Cyclops. He added that he got a text from his sources about this news, but initially they mistook the Sex Education star for Scream 7’s Asa Germann.
The journalist said, “I’m told that it ultimately came down to Kit Connor versus Asa Butterfield. It wasn’t Asa Germann. My source must have had it wrong. He must have just heard Asa, and because Germann is maybe a little bit more relevant right now. But I’m told today that Asa Butterfield was actually the runner-up for Cyclops.”
Sneider also revealed details about Starkey and Hoffman’s test screenings. He said, “Apparently Drew Starkey was in the mix for Cyclops early on. But he did not make it through the second round of tests or whatever.”
According to the scooper, the Outer Banks star was taken out of the lineup in early July. Additionally, he stated, “Cooper did test for Cyclops, but the test did not go very well.”
Kit Connor emerged as Marvel’s top choice for Cyclops
Although Jeff Sneider stated that Asa Butterfield would have been great for Cyclops, Marvel did a good job by ultimately selecting Kit Connor for the role in the X-Men Reboot.
The news of Connor emerging as the ultimate choice for Cyclops was not something that fans expected. He is the fourth actor in history to play Scott Summers in the franchise. Previous roles were taken by James Marsden, Tim Pocock, and Tye Sheridan.
According to the Deadline report, the Warfare star was picked to portray the character last week after Marvel’s President Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier met with various candidates. Moreover, these auditions were held over the last couple of months.
Along with Heartstopper and Warfare, Connor is also credited for The Wild Robot and Ready Player One. The star will next be seen in Alex Garland’s Elden Ring.
