Could another Game of Thrones star be about to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It seems that is the hope of Marvel brass, who are said to be eyeing the breakout lead of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for a pivotal role in its forthcoming X-Men reboot!
According to trusted scooper Jeff Sneider of The InSneider, Marvel is incredibly interested in Peter Claffey for the role of Beast in its upcoming X-Men franchise.
“I don’t watch this show, but he plays Dunk; his name is Peter Claffey, and I heard they’re looking at him for Beast,” Sneider revealed during the April 10 episode of The Hot Mic podcast.
When dropping the news, Sneider was clear that nothing has been finalized and there is still a ways to go, adding, “All it is is interest; there’s no casting, and they’re still writing the script. Until there’s a finished script, I don’t know they’ll do much more casting beyond Jean Grey. Everything is still open, but we’re getting close.”
The rumor surprised Snieder's co-host on the episode, with fellow insider John Rocha questioning whether it would be a good fit for Claffey given his role in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms sees him playing a "lunkhead" type rather than an intellectual character such as Dr. Hank McCoy, aka Beast.
“I would think Banshee, but Beast makes sense. Hank is a pretty intellectual, scientific guy. Can this kid convey that because all we’ve seen him do so far is this lunkhead in Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? Although there is this strength to him, so that would be interesting," Rocha quipped.
Claffey indeed possesses the build for a superhero character, though his 6' 5" height is much taller than that of the character Beast. We certainly could see Claffey in the role, and there is no doubt he could perfectly convey Hank's scientific side, though it would definitely be a departure from Dunk, who isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But that's what makes this role so brilliant for Claffey.
Playing Beast would allow Claffey to tackle a character who is quite unlike Dunk, and show off other facets of his acting skills through playing Beast. He's also a perfect addition for Marvel as he has name recognition but is a star still on the rise, which seems to be Marvel's target demo for the X-Men films.
While Marvel is looking for recognizable actors, it seems they're looking to younger, up-and-coming actors to fill many of the franchise's key roles. This aligns with Snider's note that Marvel is also looking at Odessa A’zion for a role in the X-Men films following her breakout performance in Marty Surpreme.
As Snider noted, "Odessa makes a lot of sense [for the role of Rogue, as] Margaret Qualley is a little bit bigger than her, probably a little more expensive."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been a smashing success for HBO, and there is no doubt that the show is going to open a lot of doors for Claffey, such as landing him on Marvel's radar for X-Men. However, he's not yet reached the same level of stardom as some of the other Game of Thrones franchise vets, which likely suggests landing him for the role of Beast would give Marvel a named actor but one who wouldn't require as hefty of a price tag.
It also helps that Claffey will be between filming seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms when Marvel looks to begin filming the X-Men movie, hinting that the stars could be about to align in a perfect way for Claffey and fans looking to see him take on a larger presence in the entertainment industry!