Anirudh Pisharody has joined the fan campaign to play X-Men Nightcrawler in Marvel’s upcoming reboot, telling the studio he is “so, so down” for the role.
The 9-1-1 and Never Have I Ever actor quote-tweeted a fan post pairing his photo with panels of Nightcrawler from the comics. “Anirudh would devour as Nightcrawler,” the fan wrote. Pisharody replied “so, so down,” tagging Marvel Studios alongside a devil emoji. IGN first reported the exchange.
The response has drawn a rush of support, with fans tagging Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on several platforms to make sure he has seen it. “I would be down if you could master a German accent,” one wrote, a nod to Nightcrawler’s Bavarian roots. “Role assigned to you already,” another wrote. “Remember me when it happens…”
X-Men Nightcrawler is still open
Marvel’s X-Men movie is part-cast. Inde Navarrette (Rogue), Maya Boyd (Storm), Christopher Abbott (Professor X) and Adam Driver (Mister Sinister) were confirmed at D23, with Samara Weaving (Emma Frost) and Kit Connor (Cyclops) also on board. Nightcrawler is not among them, and Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday is not a casting for the reboot — the role is open for someone younger.
Nightcrawler also comes with specifics: the character is Bavarian, devoutly Catholic and relentlessly acrobatic, and the role has previously gone to Alan Cumming (X2, and again in Avengers: Doomsday) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men: Apocalypse).
Pisharody is not the only name chasing an X-Men role. Chloe Bailey made a similar pitch for Storm, and Reacher star Agnez Mo has since answered fan calls to play Psylocke. “Thanks! I’m just gonna put it out to the universe… Psylocke,” she wrote.
Who is Anirudh Pisharody?
An Indian-American actor who broke out as Des in Netflix’s Never Have I Ever and spent four seasons as firefighter Ravi Panikkar on 9-1-1. His other credits include Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Last Man Standing and Unit 234.
When is Marvel’s X-Men movie coming out?
The X-Men reboot is scheduled for 2028. Marvel unveiled the movie’s logo at D23, and the film is expected after Avengers: Doomsday, though no exact date has been set.
Has Marvel responded to the Nightcrawler fan campaign?
Not yet. Anirudh Pisharody’s quote-tweet is a fan-facing pitch rather than a negotiation — Marvel Studios has not commented on any Nightcrawler casting, and nothing is confirmed.
