Time travel makes all things possible. Because X-Men: Days of Future Past employed the ol’ “time travel to fix problems” move, we will see Wolverine and folliclely UNchallenged Professor X cultivating the talents of younger versions of Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Grey. Such a reboot like that could only be found in….well….in an X-Men COMIC BOOK. So now, we get to recast these roles with young talent to battle Apocalypse. Who will it be???
I have always been a big fan of the original X-Men trilogy (defending the trilogy’s appeal against the barbs of Ryan the Hater…even the underrated Part 3) but the only hole for me was the casting of these three characters. James Marsden and Famke Janssen simply wouldn’t get these roles today. They were lucky to get such iconic roles before superhero movies elevated to the point where EVERYONE wanted to play a superhero role, no matter how small. Halle Berry was a superstar at the time, and could have probably played Magneto had she wanted to do so, but she just sucked…
Thanks to continuity altering plotlines, we get to correct the wrongs of the past. Gone are the deaths of Professor X, Jean Grey, and Cyclops? Yup. Gone are the crappy actors who played some of the most important characters? Absolutely. It is an X-Men truism that no one dies in the X-Universe except for people’s acting careers!
Since the First Class sorta-reboot employed great actors at every level (McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, Dinklage!), the bar is raised. Previously,Chloe Moretz, Elle Fanning, and Hailee Steinfeld were rumored for Jean. Ben Hardy, Charlie Rowe, and Timothee Chalamet were in discussion for Cyclops. Now there are new names making the rounds.
Who is rumored?
CYCLOPS
Tye Sheridan, Jamie Blackley, and Taron Egerton are all in the running.
Sheridan was really strong in the McConnaisance film, Mud. Blackley was decent in a dreadful Cloe Martz film, If I Stay. Eagerton is the lead in the upcoming Mark Millar adaptation, Kingsman. Of these, Sheridan intrigues me most.
STORM
Alexandra Shipp and Zendaya Coleman are in contention for the mistress of the elements.
Shipp played Aaliyah in the Lifetime bipoic after Coleman dropped out. Coleman is a singer who finished second on Dancing With the Stars. Both look beautiful, but I have no idea if they can act. I honestly had to use Wikipedia to find out who they are… You never know when the next great talent will be born, so here’s hoping one of them can do the role justice.
JEAN GREY
Saoirse Ronan and Sophie Turner are up for Jean Grey.
Either way, we win!
Ronan recieved an Oscar nomination for her role in Atonement (where she had complex emotions for a character played by James McAvoy!). Turner is well known to Game of Thrones fans as the prim and proper Sansa Stark. Though I’d take either one, I have a preference to see Ronan get the role. Atonement was dreadful, but she was amazing.
The First Class universe has made some smart casting choices. I am sure whoever they bring in for the role to join Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse, the success will continue!
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