According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox’s The New Mutants cast has added actor Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things, Shut In) to play Cannonball, a role previously eyed for Nat Wolff. The mutant has the ability to fly at intense speeds while protected inside a force field.
The trade has also confirmed that Rosario Dawson (Marvel’s Daredevil) is in talks to play a mentor figure to the group, “a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself.”
The film is currently set to star Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Witch) as Magik and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who) as Wolfsbane, with Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) heavily rumored to play Brazilian ladies man Sunspot. Despite early rumors, James McAvoy will NOT make an appearance as Charles Xavier. Other characters said to be in play include Native American telepath Danielle Moonstar (a.k.a. “Psyche,” later “Mirage”) and the shape-shifting alien Warlock.
Set to go before cameras in July, director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has stated that The New Mutants will be “a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” with no costumes or supervillains. The plot is rumored to involve five teenage mutants held in a secret facility trying to get a handle on their dangerous powers. The film is shooting for a PG-13 rating, with a script by Boone and his childhood friend, producer Knate Lee (Bad Grandpa).
RELATED: Maisie Williams is Wolfsbane in New Mutants Art
The New Mutants adapts the monthly comic book series of the same name that launched in 1982. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, The New Mutants follows on a group of teenage mutants as heroes in training in the Marvel Universe. The feature is expected to be a departure from the sci-fi-action spectacle of other X-Men films and is instead being described as a “Stephen King meets John Hughes”-style horror movie.
Last November, ComingSoon.net exclusively revealed a leaked concept animatic from the film, which features Wolfsbane, Magic and Cannonball facing Demon Bear. Check it out in the player below.
With a release date set for April 13, 2018, we should be hearing quite a few New Mutants cast updates in the days to come, so check back for updates as they become available.
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(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
