New 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Cast Confirmed! Spoilers, Release Date & Everything We Know So Far
"X-Men: Apocalypse" director Bryan Singer has cast the actress who will bring the character Psylocke to life on the big screen.
"The Newsroom" actress Olivia Munn has been tapped to play the role of Psylocke or Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, "a telepath who is able [to] generate a telekinetic katana and who isn't averse to taking a life," Uproxx noted. Singer announced the news of Munn's casting on his Instagram page.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Psylocke was created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe for the British "Captain Britain" series, where the character appeared from the 1970s to the '80s. Since then, she has appeared in 1987's "Uncanny X-Men" No. 213 and in various spin-off comic series such as "Exiles" and "X-Force."
Variety reported that the mutant didn't have a huge presence in the "X-Men" films and only appeared as one of the minor villains in 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand" through the portrayal of Mei Melançon. Psylocke's powers "have been altered a few times," but it mostly centers on telepathy and telekinesis, the news outlet added.
Munn, 34, recently starred alongside Johnny Depp in "Mortdecai" and in 2014's "Deliver Us from Evil," Variety wrote. She is also currently in production for the Ice Cube and Kevin Hart starrer "Ride Along 2," which will be released in early 2016.
What to Expect from 'X-Men: Apocalypse'
"X-Men: Apocalypse," which is slated for release in theaters on May 27, 2016, will also feature Lana Condor as Jubilee a.k.a. Jubilation Lee, Variety noted. IGN reported that newcomers in the franchise include Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler, and Oscar Isaac as the titular villain, Apocalypse.
They will join returning cast members such as James McAvoy (Professor X/Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto/Erik), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), and Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert), IGN listed.
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, who portrayed the older versions of Magneto and Professor X, respectively, will not return for "X-Men: Apocalypse," Yahoo Movies reported. Lawrence also confirmed that the movie will be her last appearance as Mystique in an interview with MTV News.
Meanwhile, a separate report from IGN noted Singer's confirmation about casting Ben Hardy as Warren Worthington III or Angel. The filmmaker also hinted that Angel's transformed identity, Archangel, could be back as well.
What's next for Apocalypse
Speaking to IGN about his character, Isaac said that he trusts Singer in giving the villain a different light when he is introduced in the movie. According to the actor, the filmmaker plans to "find something a little more interesting than the archetypal aspects of the characters," adding that the upcoming "X-Men" film will tackle the villain's humanity.
Simon Kinberg, Dan Harris, and Michael Dougherty wrote the screenplay of "X-Men: Apocalypse," Variety noted. The film starts production this month in Montreal, Canada, IGN added.