Cast X-Men: First Class

[Praetor]

So, let's imagine, or at least pretend, that the rumored X-Men: First Class movie will actually get made, and rather than being a sequel or spinoff to the previous films, be a reboot.

Now imagine you're the casting director. Who would you hire to play Prof X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, et al? Would you include Mimic, Havok, and Polaris? Would you build up toward introducing the All-New, All-Different X-Men?

Personally, I wish it were ten years ago and Frank Langella could play Magneto. Hell, he might still be able to pull it off...

 

[Christopher]

We're talking teenagers, right? Then how about Castle's delightful Molly C. Quinn for Jean Grey? Beyond that, I don't know very many teen actors (though TV and movies tend to cast twentysomethings as teenagers).

 

[Aragorn]

It doesn't matter who you cast, since somehow Hugh Jackman will have the most screen time.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Even if I wasn't working off established film continuity, I'd still shake up the cast - Angel I'd definitely drop, he's on average a pretty bland character and his power isn't that impressive. I'd replace him with Storm. Maybe leave it at that (though Beast would be his more familiar blue version, rather than the generic big guy look). Start out with the five plus Professor X, save additional characters for sequels - six heroes is more than enough to juggle.

Even though Magneto's the essential X-villain (and Marvel's #1, in my opinion), I'd probably leave him out in favour of somebody else, just for a change in tone. I'd do the introduction of the Sentinels.

 

[AmbassadorKosh]

Really can't say who I'd cast as whom, but I would go with the original team; Prof. X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Iceman and Beast in his non-blue haired form. I'm in my mid 40's and this is the X-men team that I grew up with in the comics and still like the best.

 

[Mysterion]

Not too familar with too many younger actors, but I'm thinking you might be able to pass off Bryce Howard as a young version of Jean Grey/Marvel Girl.

Might be best, though, to go with a cast of new/unknown actors who could potentially carry forward a series of movies.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'd probably treat it like a vintage graphic novel similiar to Watchmen, but not too overly dark and gritty in tone. But still heavily stylized. Not sure if it would haveto be canon to the established Xmen films, timeline wise, but I guess that would make sense.

So let's say if the film was set in the late 80s, early 90s. the X-Men universe could possibly exist in our history like with Bush Sr becoming president, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, End of the Cold War, possibly The Gulf War taking place that sort of thing. Coinciding with all this are mutants becoming more and more known to the public and somewhere in upstate New York, Professor X is building a school for the gifted and meanwhile Erik Lanshere, a former German officer/Hannibal Lecter type (sans the cannibalism) is being released from prison for war crimes, I dunno I guess WWII would make him too old so let's say for something he did in the Vietnam War, why a german officer is in Vietnam I have no idea, but anyways let's move on. I guess at this point he isn't Magneto yet, for all intent of purposes of this film, they could spinoff with a prequel of this as originally planned, but whatever. He allies himself with a group of evil mutants, but to switch things up from original roster of the Brotherhood, introduce new bad guys that haven't been onscreen yet, like Mr. sinister or maybe instead of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants we go into a different direction entirely and maybe introduce The Hellfire Club? And have Sebastion Shaw be the antagonist, setting up an introduction for Magneto later on or even the Sentinels.

Back to the X-Men, I'd just use the original core team: Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Warren Worthing III, Bobby Drake and Dr. Henry McCoy and possibly supporting characters like Alex Summers, Ororo Munroe, and Emma Frost if we're dealing with the Hellfire Club,

Gonna have to get back to you guys on the casting though and that's all I got so far, but if they could not make Ice Man look like a walking Snow man who throws snow balls that be great. I'd also ditch the original FX team and hire ILM or WETA Studios for this, what you guys think so far?

 

[Skywalker]

Knowing our luck, we'll get Zac Efron as Cyclops.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Ok here are some preliminary casting suggestions:

Scott Summers: Sean Faris, all american guy (younger James Marsden type, although i think he looks more like Tom Cruise.

Henry McCoy: See now I always thought he would be just a little bit older than the rest of the class, so possibly make him a professor or science instructor and cast Michael C. Hall, although he would probably have to bulk up alot. Or maybe Nick Frost from Shaun of the Dead.

Jean Grey: Deborah Ann Woll from True Blood comes to mind, but nah, maybe Evan Rachel Wood, I'm sure she's at the top of everybodys cast list for Jean? Or Cassidy Freeman who plays Tess on Smallville.

Warren Worthing III: Speaking of Smallville, maybe Justin Hartley, going from one millionaire playboy to the next.

Bobby Drake: I never really bought Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, he never really seemed snarky enough. So maybe casting somebody whos got the comedic chops, but not annoying would be ideal. If it were me, I'd say Neil Patrick Harris, but he'd definiely be too old to be believable.

Last but not least, Professor Charles Xavier: Really hard to trump Patrick Stewart, but if we were to find a younger Jean Luc Picard. Hmm I dunno, would Alan Rickman be too old? probably just as old as Patrick Stewart. What about Robert Carlyle?

 

[Greg Cox]

Really can't say who I'd cast as whom, but I would go with the original team; Prof. X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Iceman and Beast in his non-blue haired form. I'm in my mid 40's and this is the X-men team that I grew up with in the comics and still like the best.

Well, if they stick to the movie continuity, Angel and Iceman are out, since they didn't really get involved in the story until the later movies. And you probably want to have the Beast blue and furry from the beginning; it's just simpler that way, not to mention more visually interesting.

Wolverine and Rogue are out, too, since they joined the team in the first movie. So I'd throw in a young Storm (played by someone other than Halle Berry) and maybe a few other popular characters. A young Banshee maybe or Mimic?

Remember, there's no reason they have to copy the original comics exactly--especially since the X-Men didn't really get popular until the later versions.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Rutina Westley, Tara from true blood as a young Ororo Monroe, could even rock the Mohawk and portray her as a tough punk rocker chick from New York who's still kind of finding her own identity

Ryan Kwanten, Jason Stackhouse from true blood, could make cameo as Pyro. Although not let the movie be too cameo heavy like Wolverine was. Pyro was Australian wasnt he?

Everybodys favorite Nazi, Mr Christoph Waltz as a younger-ish Magneto

haha I'm starting to think what a Guy Ritchie directed X-Men: First Class movie would be like. Hell maybe even a David Fincher directed one. I know, I know I'm all over the map here. As far their uniforms go. If there is a way to bring back their originl blue and yellow costumes with out making it look all hokey and retrofitting a somewhat aestheticallly appealing to the eye, that would be great as well

 

[Shazam!]

Well, if they stick to the movie continuity, Angel and Iceman are out, since they didn't really get involved in the story until the later movies. And you probably want to have the Beast blue and furry from the beginning; it's just simpler that way, not to mention more visually interesting.

Wolverine and Rogue are out, too, since they joined the team in the first movie. So I'd throw in a young Storm (played by someone other than Halle Berry) and maybe a few other popular characters. A young Banshee maybe or Mimic?

Remember, there's no reason they have to copy the original comics exactly--especially since the X-Men didn't really get popular until the later versions.

So, let's imagine, or at least pretend, that the rumored X-Men: First Class movie will actually get made, and rather than being a sequel or spinoff to the previous films, be a reboot.

: /

 

[Greg Cox]

Remember, there's no reason they have to copy the original comics exactly--especially since the X-Men didn't really get popular until the later versions.

So, let's imagine, or at least pretend, that the rumored X-Men: First Class movie will actually get made, and rather than being a sequel or spinoff to the previous films, be a reboot.

Ah, I overlooked that part. Although I'm not sure why Fox would want to reboot a series that's still doing good business. Typically, you reboot a series after it's run of out steam . . . .

But in the case of a reboot, all bets are off. Expect a mixture of new and original characters. Storm, Rogue, Iceman, Cyclops, etc.

Again, there's no reason to stick to the canonical original group from the old Lee/Kirby issues. You'd definitely want to bring in some of the more popular characters from the glory days of the comic books.

Maybe Magneto's green-haired daughter . . . ?

 

[coolghoul]

Beast has to be blue and Beast like - Not a Tabby Cat as he is now! Man, that overgrown tabby-cat look is embarassing! Poor Hank!

 

[Captaindemotion]

Rutina Westley, Tara from true blood as a young Ororo Monroe, could even rock the Mohawk and portray her as a tough punk rocker chick from New York who's still kind of finding her own identity

Ryan Kwanten, Jason Stackhouse from true blood, could make cameo as Pyro. Although not let the movie be too cameo heavy like Wolverine was. Pyro was Australian wasnt he?

Everybodys favorite Nazi, Mr Christoph Waltz as a younger-ish Magneto

haha I'm starting to think what a Guy Ritchie directed X-Men: First Class movie would be like. Hell maybe even a David Fincher directed one. I know, I know I'm all over the map here. As far their uniforms go. If there is a way to bring back their originl blue and yellow costumes with out making it look all hokey and retrofitting a somewhat aestheticallly appealing to the eye, that would be great as well

I like your Storm and Magneto suggestions. But Pyro was in the 2nd and 3rd movies and was only a teenager in them. Circa First Class, he'd be a small boy at most. Plus he didn't have an Aussie accent. Kwanten could undoubtedly play some superhero or other all right.

Guy Ritchie is directing a Lobo movie, so I suppose he's out of X-Men for the foreseeable future. I still wish we'd seen what his occasional movie-making partner Matthew Vaughn would have done with X-Men 3.

Fincher - Hmmm , great director, but I'm not sure I want to see his X-Men. Perhaps his Constantine or Swamp Thing.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

i guess i could have just looked it up before asking, but yes he is australian, according to wikipedia. i wasnt actually referring to Pyro from the movies. But the character in the comics as being Australian, i just wasn't sure.

 

[Admiral_Young]

X-Men The First Class is going to be retooled to fit the Singer/Ratner (ugh for the later) continuity so I would go with Beast (Henry McCoy), Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Storm, Cyclops, and I have no idea for the fifth mutant. The first X-Men movie played around with the origin story and didn't use a set line up and had characters all over the place. I wish X-Men The First Class was just a stand alone movie based on the comic rather than being retooled since Bobby Drake was a student at the expanded Xavier Institute. As for casting the movie I'm going to have to think about this more. Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier could still work...same for Ian McKellan as Magneto.

 

[Greg Cox]

They could always steal a couple of characters from NEW MUTANTS to fill out the roster. Maybe Siryn or Wolfbane? Or Sunfire?

Seems like there's a hole for a Logan-esque hellraiser. Any suggestions?

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Cannonball, Longshot, Dazzler, they already used Gambit for Wolverine, he'd be the closest one. Although Bishop would be cool. They wouldnt have to mention that he's from the future. Alex Summers could probably fill that void, while his brother and team leader Scott is the straight laced guy.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yes but this movie is supposed to be an X-Men origin film. See this is another reason why the first film was skewered (and I loved it) they can't even do a proper origin story now using the team from the comics unless they go ahead and do what I thought was going to happen and have this movie be an adaption of the comic.