Halle Berry Gives Her Blessing to New Storm Actress Maya Boyd Ahead of Marvel’s X-Men Reboot

Passing the torch on an iconic superhero role is never a simple transition, especially when the original performance helped define a character for an entire generation of moviegoers. Few roles carry that kind of legacy quite like Storm, the weather-controlling mutant who became a defining figure in the X-Men franchise’s early success.

That legacy now belongs to someone new, following Marvel Studios’ recent reveal of its rebooted X-Men cast at D23. Among the biggest surprises from that announcement was the casting of relative newcomer Maya Boyd as Storm, a decision that immediately drew attention given how closely audiences associate the role with its original star.

Halle Berry, who first brought Storm to the big screen more than two decades ago, has now broken her silence on the casting, offering nothing but encouragement for her successor. Speaking with PEOPLE at the Create & Cultivate Festival in Los Angeles, Berry made clear she’s genuinely excited to see what Boyd brings to the role. “I believe she’s going to kill it. You know what I mean?” Berry told PEOPLE about the new casting.

Rather than framing the transition as a changing of the guard, Berry was careful to note that her version of the character remains distinctly her own. “Yeah, there’s people playing Storm. No, my Storm was my Storm, and I wish her so well,” she continued, before adding a vote of confidence in Boyd’s upcoming take on the role.

“I very much look forward to seeing what her version will be. I’m sure she’s going to murder it,” Berry said. It’s a sentiment that echoes a similar experience she’s had watching other actors take on Catwoman, a role she also famously played, noting that every performer brings their own internalized version of a character to the screen.

Boyd’s casting as Storm comes as part of a much larger ensemble unveiled for the untitled X-Men reboot, directed by Jake Schreier. The cast includes Kit Connor as Scott Summers, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost.

Adam Driver has also joined the film as Nathaniel Milbury, an alias associated with the comic book villain Mister Sinister, adding another layer of intrigue to the project’s overall direction. With such a stacked lineup already assembled, Boyd steps into the role of Storm alongside a cast carrying plenty of star power in its own right.

Berry first portrayed Ororo Munroe, known to fans as Storm, in 2000’s original ‘X-Men’ film, appearing alongside Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden. She went on to reprise the role across multiple sequels, cementing Storm as one of the character’s most recognizable big-screen portrayals for well over a decade.

Alexandra Shipp later took over the character in the franchise’s prequel era, playing a younger version of Storm in films like ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ and ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix.’ Now, with the character entering an entirely new phase of the franchise under the Marvel Cinematic Universe banner, Boyd becomes the latest actor tasked with carrying Storm’s legacy forward.

For fans who grew up watching Berry’s version of the character, seeing her openly champion Boyd’s casting offers a reassuring sign heading into the reboot. Rather than treating the role as something to be protected or gatekept, Berry’s comments reflect an openness to seeing the character reimagined for a new generation of audiences.

With the film’s cast now fully coming into focus, anticipation continues building for how this new iteration of the X-Men will differentiate itself from the franchise’s earlier film series.

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