Get ready for more baby mutants! After announcing the casting of a young Scott Summers (Cyclops), Jean Grey (Phoenix), and Ororo Munroe (Storm),X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan Singer revealed who will be playing a young Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler.
Ever the social media aficionado, Singer announced the news on his Instagram account:
Meet the new Nightcrawler! Kodi Smit-McPhee is an Australian actor that you might have seen in projects like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the most recent Romeo & Juliet, the voice of the lead character in ParaNorman, Let Me In, and The Road. Based on that repertoire alone, I think it’s safe to say we’re in good hands.
Nightcrawler is one of the most beloved mutants of the X-Men, and the son of Mystique and Azazel. He’s German, originating from Bavaria, and a gentle soul but a fierce fighter with a sword, his gymnastic-like abilities, and teleportation skills when needed.
We last saw him on film in X-Men 2 (which is now a parallel, alternate timeline) played by Alan Cumming. It was one of my favorite performances in the whole X-Men franchise.
I’m excited to see another take on the character and to see what Smit-McPhee does with the character, especially since we’ve seen both his mother and father in the most recent films. However, Mystique is still quite young and Azazel was revealed dead in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Either there’s a new origin story coming our way or Singer is going to do more dramatic maneuvering surrounding this character.
X-Men: Apocalypse is set to hit theatres on May 27, 2016, directed by Bryan Singer, and starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Alexandra Shipp, and Tye Sheridan. Oscar Isaac will be playing Apocalypse himself.
Do you like Smit-McPhee for Nightcrawler? How do you think they will explain his origin? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
