Class is almost in session, and 20th Century Fox is rushing to fill the roster. Earlier this week, we reported that Amber Heard was in talks to play the young Mystique in Matthew Vaughn‘s X-Men: First Class, alongside James McAvoy as Professor Xavier. Now we hear that Heard will be joined by Michael Fassbender (Jonah Hex, Inglorious Basterds), who is in negotiations with the studio to play Magneto.
Previously, Fassbender had been considering playing the villain in the new Spider-Man; Columbia Pictures will now likely have to look elsewhere. Stage actor Benjamin Walker has also signed on to the prequel as Beast (a.k.a. Dr. Hank McCoy), the muscled genius who just happens to turn himself blue in a botched medical experiment – something I hope we get to see in this film.
Fox is reportedly planning to begin production on First Class this August in London, so I expect we’ll see a good deal more casting news before then. We’ve heard that Rosamund Pike (An Education) is likely to play scientist Dr. Moira MacTaggart and Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) is up for the young Cyclops. Still, much of the casting isn’t yet 100 per cent confirmed, so as always, stay tuned for more news as it breaks.
X-Men: First Class opens June 3 next summer.
Sources: Heatvision, Collider
