It seems yet another Game of Thrones franchise alum might be making the jump from Westeros to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While not yet confirmed by Marvel Studios, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star Peter Claffey has reportedly signed on to play a pivotal role in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men film. After months of speculation that Claffey was on Marvel’s shortlist for a role in the highly anticipated project, which has already assembled quite an impressive cast, insider JESTOZ is reporting that Claffey has officially been signed to play Hank McCoy/Beast.
Claffey’s name has been in the mix for months so, if this report proves true, it would not be surprising at all as many reputable insiders have hinted Claffey was one of Marvel’s top choices to play Beast. For a time, Claffey was one of two frontrunners alongside Beef star Charles Melton, who emerged as the favorite to play the role heading into the cast announcement at the D23 Expo. In an unexpected turn of events, Melton was said to have dropped out of the project before the cast reveal, which shifted attention back to Claffey.
Considering that Claffey fits the bill of what Marvel has reportedly been looking for, his casting in X-Men would certainly make sense. While in the past, Marvel has taken the approach of seeking out well-established A-listers, it’s taken a different approach with the X-Men film by going after younger actors who are still earlier in their careers for the X-Men ensemble with a dash of veteran talent in the mix. This has led to a cast that is on the younger side, with the actors in their 20s and early 30s for the core members of the X-Men team. At 30 years old, Claffey falls in the preferred age range for the casting team and he also fits the bill as an actor with name recognition who is still early in his career, having just had his breakthrough moment this year via his role as Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Anyone who has watched A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms knows Claffey certainly has the physicality that is needed for playing a superhero in the MCU, and it would certainly be fun to see him join the new class of X-Men alongside the likes of Sadie Sink, Kit Connor, Inde Navarrette, Maya Boyd, Samara Weaving, and Asa Germann. There’s just one thing that makes me anxious as a fan of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Peter Claffey joining the X-Men cast could complicate filming on Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 3
While we’ll have to wait to see if Peter Claffey has indeed signed on to join the X-Men cast or if this turns out to be another Charles Melton situation with a frontrunner emerging only to drop out, Claffey joining the film would make things interesting for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans.
HBO has not yet renewed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for season 3; however, a renewal is all but certain for the show, as its first season was incredibly well-received and season 2 was quickly greenlit by the network as part of a plan to push out new seasons annually. Season 2 will be coming sometime in the first half of 2027, and the expectation is that a third season would then release sometime in 2028.
Depending on when HBO makes the decision to officially renew A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for season 3, we could see a conflict arise between filming for a third season and Marvel’s X-Men film.
There is no start date for production on X-Men, but reports suggest filming will begin in early 2027 and run for three to four months, with Marvel looking to release the film on May 5, 2028. This targeted start to filming in early 2027 could end up creating a conflict with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 3 should it follow a similar filming schedule as season 2, which filmed from March 2026 to August 2026.
Now, it’s not uncommon at all for actors to juggle multiple projects, and we imagine that if Claffey truly signed on to play Beast, he likely coordinated with the HBO team to ensure it would not conflict with his Knight of the Seven Kingdoms commitments, but it could still complicate matters—especially for Claffey. If filming on the two projects overlaps, there is a chance that Claffey might have to film both projects at the same time in a similar manner to how David Harbour shot the final season of Stranger Things and Marvel’s Thunderbolts at the same time. If that ends up being the case, it’ll be interesting to see how the two projects work in tandem and what it could mean for Claffey.
Harbour was open about discussing how prosthetics came into play to help him play both Hopper and Alexi at the same time when the characters had very different appearances, including their build and facial hair. We don’t imagine that will be the case here, but one thing that fans could end up noticing on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Dunk becoming even more intimidating in stature by the time season 3 potentially rolls around.
Marvel roles tend to require actors to bulk up to match the characters' muscular builds, and Beast is certainly a character who is known for his hulking build. If Claffey has booked the role of Beast, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if he hit the gym even harder to help sell his role, though it’s also possible that CGI will do some of the heavy lifting there given Beast’s unique look. It also helps that Dunk doesn’t wear the most form-fitting attire, which could also help A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cover up Claffey’s potential gains.
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