By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Until Spider-Man: Brand New Day came out, Obsession was arguably the biggest film of the summer. After all, it was made on the cheap for $750,000, and it went on to earn over $460 million. That’s more than The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars film in seven years! Obsession became a massive hit thanks to Curry Barker’s confident, moody direction. Of course, he had a secret weapon: breakout star Inde Navarrette. She gave an insanely captivating performance, one that is very likely to earn her an Oscar nomination. By the time the credits rolled, fans and critics alike had the same question: what will she do next?
If the Obsession star has her way, she’ll be suiting up in the upcoming X-Men movie. Or, more accurately, she might be stripping down. You see, Navarrette recently confirmed that she met with Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier, the man who is helming X-Men for Marvel Studios. While she didn’t confirm that she had been hired, she did indicate which mutant she’d like to play: Mystique, the blue, shape-shifting sex symbol who spent those early X-Men films wearing nothing at all!
A Fangirl Unleashed
How did Inde Navarrette end up in Marvel’s orbit to begin with? On Variety’s Up Next podcast, she said, “I’ve been taking a lot of meetings since Obsession came out. That’s been really nice because you get to meet people and ask questions.” And you guessed it: one of the people she met with was Jake Schreier, the man Marvel Studios has tapped to direct its first X-Men movie. Navarrette was quite happy about this meeting because it let her fangirl out over the director’s last major film. “I thought what Jake brought to Thunderbolts was what I used to love about Marvel,” she said. “It was character-driven.”
To hear her tell the story, it sounds like Navarrette did most of the talking. “The whole time, I just couldn’t stop yapping about how much I appreciated what he did with Marvel.” She’s not the only one. While Thunderbolts was only a modest hit at the box office, fans and critics alike loved the chemistry between the entire ensemble of colorful weirdoes. Obviously, the X-Men are also colorful weirdos with killer chemistry, and Schrier seems uniquely suited to bring the new team to life. When he does, will Navarrette be joining them, as Mystique or anyone else?
She Has A Certain “Mystique”
Maybe, maybe not. The star was quick to point out that “not all of those meetings turn into projects.” Rather, they are opportunities to meet with some of her idols and tell them, “I really want to work with you. I’ve seen this project, and this one, and this one.’” Reading not so much between the lines, it seems Navarrette met with Schrier to politely ask for a job, and X-Men is the next project on the director’s docket. Considering her popularity and her acting talent, it seems like the Obsession scream queen has a shot. She even has a mutant in mind, telling Variety, “Mystique has always been super cool.”
From the outside of the Xavier mansion looking in, it sounds like this decision is a no-brainer. If the hottest new actor in Hollywood wants to start in the X-Men movie, Jake Schreier should let her. Inde Navarrette has amazing range as an actor and a deep passion for the project. She’d even fit right in with the young cast. Only time will tell, though, if Marvel will hire the woman with the most important mutant power in all of Hollywood: getting Gen Z to actually go to the movies!
