Alan Cumming Spills Details on ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Filming: Studio Took Measures to Keep Him From Sharing Spoilers

Alan Cumming is officially returning as Nightcrawler in the upcoming Marvel blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday. The actor recently opened up about the filming process, sharing some behind-the-scenes stories with Gold Derby. Cumming admitted that much of his work on the film was done in isolation. “I did the entire film in isolation. Lots of green screen, face replacement. They even gave characters fake names. I don’t know who I was acting with half the time,” he said, laughing. “I broke the internet by mentioning something once, but honestly, I might have got it wrong.”

Cumming originally played Nightcrawler in 2003’s X2: X-Men United. He had been hesitant to return to the role because of the long and exhausting process it took to get into character. This time, however, modern technology made things much faster and simpler.

Fans first learned about Cumming’s comeback during a five-hour Marvel Studios livestream, where the studio revealed 27 cast members for the huge crossover film. Alongside stars like Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, several familiar X-Men actors are also returning. Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijn will all reprise their original roles, exciting long-time fans of the franchise.

Cumming’s return has a humorous side as well. While guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he spoke with the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps about how challenging it is to avoid spoiling movie details. Pascal, who plays Mister Fantastic, jokingly pointed the finger back at Cumming. “It’s funny that you should ask,” Pascal said. “The biggest leak that we’ve had comes from our host.” Cumming himself had already let slip a major plot point in May, hinting at a fight between Nightcrawler and Mister Fantastic. “My publicist called me,” he admitted. “You know the wrath of your publicist is, not the wrath you want to have.”

Avengers: Doomsday promises to be one of Marvel’s biggest films yet. The story will bring together the Avengers, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, Wakandans, and X-Men to face off against Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. The film is directed by the Russo brothers and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely. It is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on December 18, 2026, with Marvel’s Secret Wars following in 2027.

First reported by Gold Derby.

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