With casting rumors beginning to circulate on who director Bryan Singer and Twentieth Century Fox would cast as the titular villain in X-Men: Apocalypse, we knew they were getting close. Production begins in Montreal in April for the followup to this year's X-Men: Days of Future Past and while the studio looks at young stars to play new versions of several original X-Men characters, we do now know who's playing the film's most important character: Apocalypse.
Golden Globe (for Inside Llewyn Davis) nominated actor Oscar Isaac landed a career-boosting gig in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and will be following up with another major role in the biggest X-Men film to date. Isaac will play En Sabah Nur a.k.a. Apocalypse, the most dangerous villain the X-Men will face to date.
A young Apocalypse first appeared in the mid-credits button scene at the end of Days of Future Past where we saw him manipulating objects with telekinesis as the Four Horsemen stood in the background. In the modern era, or more specifically, the '80s when X-Men: Apocalypse takes place, we will see him portrayed by Isaac. Variety reports that Isaac was a favorite of the direct from the the start.
Apocalypse is a massive, towering figure in the main Marvel Comics, but there have been other versions of him in the Ultimate comics and in animated TV series. Given Isaac's body size and shape, we're not sure if he will appear as an average-sized humanoid or if special effects will make him change in size (likely the latter). We do know that X-Men: Apocalypse will live up to the same and see the mutant heroes against a literal apocalyptic-sized event.
Singer and producer/writer Simon Kinberg heave repeatedly emphasized that Apocalypse will deliver a massive "spectacle" and will be "even bigger" than X-Men: Days of Future Past, serving as the conclusion to the First Class trilogy. Now that Apocalypse has been cast, next up will be the younger versions of Cyclops and Jean Grey.
Idris Elba was speculated to be a contender for the Apocalypse role based on thin and vague unofficial information but given his role in Marvel Studios' franchise, there might be a non-compete clause preventing that reality. We do know from Elba's own slip-up that he will appear in next summer's The Avengers: Age of Ultron for a scene.
Smart casting choice of a talented actor? Expecting someone else? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Fantastic Four opens August 7th, 2015, Deadpool on February 12, 2016, X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27, 2016, The Wolverine 3 (not the official title) on March 3rd, 2017, Fantastic Four 2 on July 14th, 2017, and some as-yet unspecified X-Men film on July 13th, 2018.
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Source: Variety