We knew that DAYS OF FUTURE PAST was likely the last time we'd see James Marsden and Famke Janssen as Scott Summers/Cyclops and Jean Grey/Phoenix, respectively, and that APOCALYPSE would feature new actors as the young, fresh versions of the future lovers. With production scheduled for this coming spring, the hunt is on for young'ns to fill in Marsden and Janssen's shoes, and The Wrap has presented a few names that might be in the running.
For young Cyclops, they are (once again, after X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE) looking for a relative unknown. Don't worry if the names of Ben Hardy, Charlie Rowe, or Timothee Chalamet don't sound familiar to you. Hardy's sole acting credit has been on the BBC show EASTENDERS, Rowe's career has just started gaining momentum thanks to RED BAND SOCIETY, and Chalamet's showiest gig so far was as the 15-year-old version of McConaughey's son in the two-week-out INTERSTELLAR. I'm sure that, at this point, it's anyone's gig, but these three names give us an idea of the kind of kid they're looking for.
However, it looks like they're going a different way for Jean Grey: that is to say, better-known. For the future Dark Phoenix, Fox and Singer are reportedly looking at Hailee Steinfeld, Elle Fanning, and Chloe Moretz. The Wrap's report seems to imply that Moretz is looking the most likely of those three at this point, but that, like Scott, the role could end up going to another young actress with the same level of caliber/fame.
It's a good thing not that many people saw that CARRIE remake, otherwise that could be an issue for audiences unwilling to watch Moretz get all telekenisis-y again.
Even if it's a smidge on the obvious side, I like the idea of Hit-Girl as young Jean Grey, developing her powers under Xavier's tutelage and getting the hots for the future Cyclops. Fanning and Steinfeld would probably highlight opposite aspects of Grey's personality; I could see Fanning using her pale fragility to her advantage, while Steinfeld would probably play up the strong, attentive pupil side of the character. Ostensibly, they need someone who can commit to more than just one or two films, and that's going to be a huge factor when signing someone on, so don't be surprised if you hear a bunch more names before the trigger is officially pulled.
Regardless of whether one of these actresses gets the gig, it's clear that Fox and Singer are looking to back up their hot-as-hell FIRST CLASS cast with yet another big name. They're losing a bit of momentum without the old-school cast, but it doesn't seem at all like they're scaling back, though APOCALYPSE is supposed to be as much of a romance between Mystique and Magneto as anything else…
X-MEN: APOCALYPSE takes it to the '80s on May 27th, 2016.
