Though much of the cast from both X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past will return for 2016’s trilogy capper X-Men: Apocalypse, there are several major roles that will be filled by franchise newcomers, namely those of present-day X-Men team leaders Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, and Jean Grey. Though James Marsden and Famke Janssen play Cyclops and Jean in the first few X-Men films, younger actors will take their place in Apocalypse, as it takes place in the 1980s, which is twenty or so years before the events of the first X-Men movie.
Thanks to TheWrap, we now have a new shortlist of actors for both Cyclops and Jean Grey, and they give us a good idea of how director Bryan Singer will cast the parts this time around. Three actors have been named as contenders for each role: Kick-Ass and Carrie star Chloe Grace Moretz, Maleficent and Super 8 actress Elle Fanning and Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) are up for the roles of Jean Grey, while EastEnders‘ Ben Hardy, Red Band Society‘s Charlie Rowe and Interstellar‘s Timothee Chalamet are up for the role of Cyclops.
Moretz and Fanning have reportedly already met with Singer, though “official test offers” have not yet been made and “other up-and-comers [are] still in the mix.” Singer is said to be “aiming high” for an actress for Jean Grey, and is supposedly more open to finding a fresh face to play the young Cyclops.
Of this list of names, I could easily see Moretz getting the part, considering she’s a fan-favorite and played Hit-Girl in the Kick-Ass films, the first of which was directed by X-Men: First Class helmer Matthew Vaughn. Of course, Fanning and Steinfeld could easily do the part justice, so I’m happy with who Singer is looking at thus far. As for the part of Cyclops, I’m not that familiar with the young men listed here, so I’ll reserve judgement on that particular bit of casting until it’s made official.
Tell us, what do you think of these new shortlists? Do you like the names listed for these roles, or do you have other actors in mind for the younger versions of Cyclops and Jean Grey? Let us know in the comments below.
X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27th, 2016.