Variety has announced that Mad Men’s January Jones has signed a deal to play mutant Emma Frost in X-men: First Class. It seems that earlier reports of Alice Eve may have jumped the gun. Jones plays housewife Betty Draper the early 60s inspired television show. Emma Frost has transformed in the comic books from socialite, White Queen of the Hellfire club, and enemy, to headmistress of Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. I have no idea which one she’ll be playing in this film.
Yes, yes we have our Angel, but it’s not the Angel you all were hoping for. 21 year old, Zoe Kravitz, has
Zoe Kravitz
been cast as Angel. While there are many angels in the x-men universe I assume this refers to Angel Salvadore, created for Grant Morrison’s New X-men run. Zoe is the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonnet, and will be seen in 2012’s Mad Max: Fury Road.
Should I be mad? Angel is another obscure character to add to the list. Something smells fishy to me.
Young actors Bill Milner, and Morgan Lily will play young Magneto and Mystique.
Hello again, my patient followers. After internet trouble, computer trouble, and a short but needed vacation, The Nerd Vortex is ready to bring you all of this week’s nerdy news. And it’s good I’m back because X-men: First Class casting is really picking up–some expected and some…not so much.
Matthew Vaughn is a director who knows what he likes. If you’ve seen one of his films, you’ve probably seen Jason Flemyng’s face up on the screen. With roles in Layer Cake, Stardust, and Kick-Ass, it was no surprise when he announced at London’s BFU movie convention that he would be in the latest mutant movie. His character, however, is. Flemyng told fans that he would be playing Azazel, another character requiring hours of make-up and a CGI tail (Flemyng seems to play a lot of these roles).
So who is Azazel? Like Darwin, he’s another recent addition to the X-men Universe. Demon-like in
Jason Flemyng
appearance, he’s an ancient mutant (biblically ancient) with the ability to teleport and create portals to other dimensions. Oh yes, and he may very well be Nightcrawler’s father…you know…until they retcon that out. I’m filling this with Darwin under “bizarre character additions.” It seems strange to add characters that are neither recognizable to the movie going public nor favourites. More importantly, I just can’t figure out how he’ll fit into a plot about the formation of the x-men. I like Flemyng but he’s got his work cut out for him. Singer, Vaughn, I hope you know what you’re doing, because you’re losing me.
Rose Byrne
In more logical casting, Rose Byrne has been cast as Scientist, and one time love interest of Charles Xavier, Moira MacTaggert. The character was briefly portrayed by Olivia Williams in X-men: The Last Stand. Byrne was recently nominated for an Emmy for her work on Damages. She’s also earned her geek cred with roles in Troy, 28 Weeks Later, and Get Him to the Greek.
Like Rose Byrne, the newest actor cast, will not be playing a mutant (or so we’re told). The only name given by Deadline is “The Man in Black” and we don’t think they’re talking about Johnny Cash. And who better to play our mystery character than Oliver Platt. Platt is currently starring in Showtimes’ new series ‘The Big C” with Laura Linney. Looking through his resume I find it hard to narrow down, what type of role he’ll be playing in First Class.
Could “Man in Black” be a clue? Emma Frost, the White Queen, has already been confirmed. Could Platt be playing one of the Black
Oliver Platt
pieces? Is Jason Flemyng really playing a dimension hoping demon or is this all a ridiculous attempt to make us crazy?
Deadline has reported that Edi Gathegi (Twilight, Gone Baby Gone) has landed the role of Darwin in X-men: First Class. You may recognize Gathegi as the evil Laurent in the Twilight Saga, or Dr. Jeffrey Cole on tv’s House, but do you recognize the character?
Armando Muñoz, aka Darwin, was created by Ed Brubaker and Pete Woods and introduced in the 2006 run of X-men: Deadly Genesis. As his name suggests, his power is to evolve. His body automatically reacts to his surroundings, allowing him to survive nearly anything. In the comics, the limit of his power has not been fully explored, but it is clear he is not easy to kill. The Deadly Genesis storyline explored an earlier time in x-men history, after the original x-men, but before the Giant size X-men team. It seems Xavier sent a second team to save his original x-men from the living island, Krakoa. The young team was hastily trained and included Gabriel, the third summers brother, as well as our friend Darwin. The entire team was thought dead, but Darwin’s powers protected him and Gabriel until they were found years later. In theory, Darwin’s involvement in X-men: First Class makes sense. In theory. I doubt Singer and Vaughn’s script has anything to do with living island, though. I have never expected Matthew Vaughn’s X-men: First class to adhere to the original five X-men of the comics. Bryan Singer set the tone of the movie-verse and with his involvement in writing and producing, I don’t expect it to change all that much. But Darwin throws even me more a loop. It feels a bit like X-men: The Last Stand, and X-men Origins: Wolverine. Mutants are just being thrown in for the sake of name recognition, and pandering to the fanboys.
But my biggest qualms with this character choice isn’t name recognition, or even straying from comic continuity. It’s simply his powers. Darwin, if written poorly, could be a walking, talking Deus Ex Machina. He has the power to get out of any situation unharmed, and solve any problem by evolving. On screen this could feel like a cheap explanation, lazy writing, or just plain boring. It’s like writing Xavier. There needs to be a reason he can’t solve the situation, even though he’s powerful enough to do so.
What do you think about this casting announcement? Do you think Darwin is a good addition to the X-men line-up? Do you think this is all a trick to keep us off the trail of another character? Tell me what you think.
Variety confirms that Kevin Bacon has joined X-men: First Class. No character has been announced, as Fox is trying to keep the film’s secrets hidden from the sleuthy comic book fans. Fan sites have guessed a variety of baddies including Hellfire Club leader Sebastian Shaw and Mr Sinister. Some even speculate Bacon will play big blue villain Apocalypse. One thing is for sure, with the young, and up-and-coming cast, six degrees of Kevin Bacon has become a little easier.
Jennifer Lawrence
In other X-men news, actress Jennifer Lawrence will play Mystique. The 19 year old Lawrence has been getting rave reviews for her portrayal of Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone.
The flood-gates have opened. We have casting, recasting, rumours, and misdirection.
CASTING
Caleb Landry Jones
Previously rumoured Caleb Landry Jones, has been confirmed as Banshee by EW.com. Previous credits include football television series, Friday Night Lights, and the award-winning No Country for Old Men. He will be seen in The Last Exorcism later this year.
Lucas Til
EW also announces that Lucas Til is in negotiations to play Havok. Til stole tween hearts as Hannah Montana’s love interesting in the Hannah Montana Movie. He also played the young Johnny Cash in Walk the Line.
Nicholas Hoult
RECASTING
Hank McCoy has been cast…again. Our Beast is Nicholas Hoult. Hoult was last seen in the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans (but I won’t hold that against him). He also appeared along side Colin Firth in Tom Ford’s A Single Man.
Kevin Bacon
RUMOURS
The plot details for X-men: First Class have been sketchy at best, but every superhero film needs a baddie. Today’s newest Rumour?
Deadline is reporting Kevin Bacon is in talks to play an un-named antagonist. Could this be one of the iconic villains of X-men lore, or a new character created by Singer, Vaughn, and the writing staff? Who knows?
MISDIRECTION EW has warned us that all may not be what it seems. The characters names may not necessarily be the ones that will appear in the film. Fox seems to be trying to stop leaks, and keep a few surprises for the theatre. Rumours about Aaron Johnson and Taylor Lautner have been debunked…for now.
Showbiz411 is reporting that Fox has looked into the availability of the young Twilight star, in hopes of him joining James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in X-men: First Class. No other specifics have been made public and we are not aware how seriously Fox is pursuing Lautner. I’m not going to sit here and rant about Twilight (I think I did some of that already) or outright criticize Lautner’s acting. It Showbiz411 is correct, it tells us a lot more about the production.
Fox has become a bad word in the mouths of geeks. After the disappointments of X-men: The Last stand, and X-men Origins: Wolverine, many fans don’t want to give Fox another chance. While those movie’s made money, some of their more resent endeavours have not. Both Knight & Day and the A Team grossed less than the Fox suits expected. Big names like Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz didn’t bring in the money. So, Fox wants to go with a working formula. The Loosers, Kick Ass, and Jona Hex proved that being a comic book adaptation doesn’t necessarily translate into cash. What does? Being Twilight. The teen market is still willing to shell over big bucks. Fox wants a piece of it. Enter X-men: First Class. Continue reading Taylor Lautner, X-men First Class, Girls and Comics→
It seems re-casting has already hot X-men: First Class. Although Benjamin Walker was signed on for the project it seems that he will singing his way to broadway instead. Walker will return to his former role of Andrew Jackson in ‘Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson’ when is hits broadway. The young actor has been debating his decision but once Fox okayed his part, we assumed the choice was final. So what caused Walker to depart the latest X-film? Many sites are reporting that it was his age. That’s right, age. Fox has decided Walker is too old for the part of Hank McCoy, the oldest of the original x-men (Xavier excluded), and previously played by Kelsey Grammar. Compared to McAvoy (Xavier) and Fassbender (Magneto), Fox believes the ‘first class’ mutants need to skew younger. This is a scary thought. Continue reading A Beast Back to Broadway: Benjamin Walker Out of X-men: First Class?→
No more confirmations yet, but we do have a few more twitter updates
Anne Rzechowicz tweets:
Alex is back in LA. Callback for Power Rangers tomorrow and audition for Xmen. Go Alex!!!! Not bad for a 17 year old living by himself in LA
The Alex in question is her son Alex Rzechowicz, who can be found HERE He’s worked on tv and film project before but at such a young age, is just beginning his career.
Deadline and the hollywood Reporter are reporting that British actress Alice Eve is in talks to play Emma Frost in X-men: First Class. Not a stranger to Marvel fans, Eve’s name circled the Captain American casting rumours until the casting of Hayley Atwell. It seems Emma Frost’s appearance in X-men: First Class is more than just a rumour. The question is, to what purpose? Alice Eve (She’s out of my League) is 28. Will she play younger and be a student of Xavier and Magneto’s or will she play a contemporary of the Mutant duo? While Emma Frost was of similar age to Cyclops and Jean Grey in the comics, she’s always been an authority figure, whether as the White Queen in the Hellfire club, Head Mistress of the Massachusettes acedemy, or Cyclop’s right hand leading the X-men. It will be interesting to see which direction Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer take this character. Alice Eve looks like a young Emma Frost in my eyes. If cast, Eve will join James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Benjamin Walker, in the mutant prequel.
After weeks of speculation, Michael Fassbender has officially become the master of magnetism. Hollywood Reporter announced today that Fassbender has accepted the role and will join James McAvoy and Benjamin Walker in Matthew Vaughn’s X-men: First Class. The casting process continues with casting director Joseph Middleton replacing Mindy Martin.
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