20th Century Fox and Bryan Singer aren’t sitting on their laurels after their highly successful smash hit “X-Men: Days of Future Past” grossed nearly $750 million worldwide at the box office. The studio and filmmaker are in the process of casting a young Cyclops a.k.a. Scott Summers and Jean Grey for the upcoming “X-Men: Apocalypse” film.
The role for the young Jean Grey has been narrowed down to teenage actresses Chloë Moretz (“Kick-Ass,”) Elle Fanning (“Maleficent”) and Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit,” “Ender’s Game.”) Ben Hardy (BBC television’s “EastEnders,”) Charlie Rowe (“The Golden Compass”) and Timothee Chalamet (“Interstellar”) are in contention for the role of Cyclops.
An insider confirmed that Moretz and Fanning have met with Singer in recent weeks who is on a mission to find a young Jean Grey. The role is expected to be recurring in subsequent “X-Men” films. A representative for Moretz didn’t respond to requests for comment and it’s uncertain whether Fanning is pursuing the role.
The decision to cast the right actors for these roles is crucial since the two characters first appeared in Marvel Comics’ “X-Men #1” way back in 1963. The pair have been an on-again, off-again couple and are considered to be the emotional heart of the mutant universe.
The current story arc written by Brian Michael Bendis has these characters, courtesy of a time-travel plot point, transported to the present day. So, it would only make sense to give Jean Grey and Cyclops a facelift.
Producer Simon Kinberg has already revealed that “X-Men: Apocalypse” will take the franchise in a new direction with younger actors playing Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm.
Also, fans are eager to see the romance blossom between Magneto (Michael Fassbinder) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in this highly anticipated sequel.
“Apocalypse” is scheduled to start production in the spring, as Fox will release the film on May 27, 2016. The film will star Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Evan Peters, Channing Tatum, Nicholas Hoult and Brendan Pedder. Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, Simon Kinberg and Bryan Singer wrote the screenplay based on characters created by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Louise Simonson. Bryan Singer directs.
Sources: The Wrap, wikipedia, IMDb