X-Men: Apocalypse and Deadpool Casting News

See why two signings in the X-men universe mean very different things for their respective films.

Story by Matt Cummings

With X-Men: Days of Future Past still basking in its critical and financial success from last summer, it's clear that Director Bryan Singer hit almost every note with his return to the franchise. That's a big difference when comparing it to the disaster that is the Spider-man camp, as Sony recently agreed to 'lend' back the iconic character to Marvel in an effort to boost his damaged reputation.

There is none of that over at 20th Century Fox, where both Deadpool and X-Men: Apocalypse begin their pre-production schedules with as much inertia as we've ever seen from these respective franchises. For both, the news continues to flow in, as major casting news was announced today, giving us a better idea of the various characters that will appear. First comes Apocalypse, as we've learned that Kodi Smit-McPhee (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) will be playing none other than a younger version of Nightcrawler.

For the forgetful, Nightcrawler aka Kurt Wagner was a blue-skinned orphan teleporter who was raised by a travelling circus somewhere in Germany. He and the X-Men meet him X-Men 2 after he attempts to assassinate the President. The role was first played by Alan Cumming, but it's clear that Singer is going much younger by signing Smit-McPhee. The question then inevitably gets raised: wills Cumming's appearance be wiped clean from the movie canon, allowing the film's creative team to tell new tales about Nightcrawler?

What we do know is that Singer has assembled a young core of actors that include Smit-McPhee, whose resume includes Let Me In, The Road, and the aforementioned Apes. Just like fellow signings Sophie Turner (Jean Grey) and Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Smit-McPhee can be around for quite awhile, potentially giving us years with these actors and further strengthening the X-men brand.

For Deadpool, the news is more about who's been cast than what they represent to the story. THR claims that V and Firefly star Morena Baccarin has been cast as an unknown female lead. While that is yet to be determined, it's clear that Director Tim Miller has now filled his movie with nearly everyone he will need to tell the story of The Merc with a Mouth. Reports indicate that Baccarin beat out Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black) and Jessica De Gouw (Arrow) for the role, which could be for the mutant Copycat. Based on the character summaries released last week, the role of Vanessa Carlysle would fit Baccarin to a tee: a young prostitute who ends up getting close to Wade Wilson. In the comics, their relationship ends when Wilson learns he has terminal cancer, and decides to leave Carlysle to spare her the pain of seeing him die.

We also know that the role potentially offered to Baccarin might require her appearance in three sequels. While not new, this reveals a lot about Fox's faith in the franchise, and potentially where we'll see Baccarin lay her claim over the next few years. Same goes with Haywire and Fast Six actress Gina Carano, who recently signed to play another unknown role.

Deadpool hits theaters February 12, 2016 and X-Men: Apocalypse arrives in U.S> theaters on May 27th, 2016.

Sources: THR, AceShowBiz (images)

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