The rumor mill, which until recently was focused on Marvel Studios'
The Avengers, has shifted over the Fox's
X-Men: First Class. The latest speculation regarding the superhero prequel
surfaced four days ago, and regarded the possible additions to the cast of actress Rosamund Pike as scientist Moira MacTaggart and Amber Heard as the shape-shifting mutant Mystique.
Apparently, Heard may not be a shoe in for the role. Actress/Model/Host Jasmine Dustin posted this message on her
Twitter account several days ago:
Dustin has had a few minor roles in movies such as
Iron Man 2, Rush Hour 3 and
Tropic Thunder and, ironically, her modeling career does appear to mimic Rebbecca Romijin's; who portrayed Mystique in three
X-Men movies. If Dustin happens to land this role in
X-Men: First Class, it will be her breakout film performance, much like Romijin.
The second bit of information comes from an article in
The New York Times, which was highlighting a problem with the critically acclaimed Broadway musical,
Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson. It appears that the musical's star, Benjamin Walker, may not continue with his performance because he:
"..has been offered an enviable movie role in a coming “X-Men” project, said the executives, who would only speak anonymously because they were not authorized by the Public to announce the information." Walker's film credits include
Kinsey and
Flags of Our Fathers, but the majority of his performance experience comes from stand-up comedy and theater. What character could Walker be in the running for? It was told to me this morning Walker's role may be either a young
Henry McCoy/Beast or
Sean Cassidy/Banshee. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any more information except for those two character options.
Only time will tell of the validity of these rumors, so eager X-fans should not get too excited just yet.
X-Men: First Class is set to begin filming in the United Kingdom this fall, and has a theatrical release date of June 3, 2011.