Welcome to Cast Party, the feature that imagines a world with even more live action comic book adaptations than we currently have, and comes up with arguably the best casting suggestions you’re ever going to find for the movies and shows we wish could exist. This week is the third in a four part series spanning the month of May, which envisions a full reboot of the X-Men movie franchise.

The same X-Men series has been running (with some timeline jumps) since 2000, and it’s been a mixed bag at best. Even as people are excited for X-Men Apocalypse, I hear a lot of fans suggesting that it might be about time to shake things up. So what would an X-Men reboot look like? That’s the challenge I’ve set for myself this month. There are a lot of actors in the current series that I love, but I’m not letting myself use any of them — at least, not in the same roles!

Much as it was in the comics, Inferno will be a huge epic with a huge cast. In fact, let's take a minute to review which cast members will return from the previous films in the series:

  • Adam Scott as Cyclops
  • Bryce Dallas Howard as Jean Grey
  • Michael C. Hall as the Beast (now blue and furry)
  • Oscar Isaac as Archangel (now blue and grumpy)
  • Maulik Pancholy as Iceman
  • Justin Timberlake as Havok
  • Lupita Nyong’o as Storm
  • Christian Kane as Wolverine
  • Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Colossus
  • Amber Stevens West as Polaris, now possessed by Mr. Sinister's sidekick, Malice

The best way to do this movie is if there's been a couple of spin-off movies in between: A New Mutants movie that helps set up Magik, and an X-Factor movie that reunites the original X-Men and sets up Madeline Pryor. There's room for other films in the franchise as well. Excalibur would explain where Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler are (and possibly connect back to Psylocke, who's in this movie), and a Longshot movie that sets up that character could be a lot of fun. I may cast some of these movies down the road.

But whatever comes in between, X-Men: Inferno is where things come to a head. Mr. Sinister reveals that Madeline Pryor is a clone, which causes her to go full villain and make a deal with the demons that are invading Earth. Demons who have already corrupted Colossus's baby sister. The X-Men thought Dark Phoenix was the worst thing they'd ever face, but now they're fighting Hell itself.

  • Bryce Dallas Howard as the Goblin Queen

    Marvel/Universal
    Marvel/Universal
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    I guess it goes without saying, but Howard gets to play a dual role here, as the once-again heroic Jean Grey and the demonic Medea of the Marvel Universe, Madeline Pryor.

  • Matt Bomer as Mr. Sinister

    Marvel/FX
    Marvel/FX
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    It takes a special kind of swagger to play the kind of character that Sinister is, and if Bomer can't do it, I don't know who can.

  • Tilda Swinton as N'astirh

    Marvel/First Sun
    Marvel/First Sun
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    Okay yes, this obviously isn't the first time Swinton's been cast as a mystical Marvel character who was male in the comics. That's just the sort of career she has (she also played Gabriel in the Constantine movie, after all). But I think she can be spectacularly creepy as the baby-stealing N'astirh.

  • Big E as S'ym

    Marvel/WWE
    Marvel/WWE
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    Big E, as his name implies, is huge. He also has a versatile, resonant voice and a particular skill for comedy. S'ym's not really a comedic character, but he employs a level of silliness in his pursuit of being creepy, which is something I think Big E could be great at, even under demonic makeup.

  • Madeleine Arthur as Illyana Rasputin

    Marvel/ABC
    Marvel/ABC
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    Arthur, as seen in The Family, has this great "weird child" quality. She'll really get to play that to the hilt as the Darkchilde.

  • Lucy Hale as Rogue

    Marvel/Freeform
    Marvel/Freeform
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    Hale's actually from Memphis, so she ought to be able to replicate a good Southern accent. She's also very petite, which Rogue isn't always portrayed as, but her powers allow for it, and it'll add some variation to the team.

  • Katie Leung as Psylocke

    Marvel/BBC
    Marvel/BBC
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    Obviously this story was before the infamous body swap, but I figure in this universe we'll eliminate all that, and portray Betsy as a British woman of Asian descent.

  • Chord Overstreet as Longshot

    Marvel/Fox
    Marvel/Fox
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    Is it worth using CGI to give Overstreet four-fingered hands? I suppose it depends on how much budget is left after the hordes of demons. But otherwise he's already got the perfect look.

  • Taylor Swift as Dazzler

    Marvel/Big Machine Records
    Marvel/Big Machine Records
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    Look, whether you like her or not, Swift is going to break into movies sooner or later. And what better role than a pop star turned superhero who's mostly a bit player in this story. How she does here will determine whether she can handle a Dazzler spin-off movie.

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