Kota Eberhardt and Scott Shepherd have reportedly joined the cast of X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Even though principal photography began in late-June, Twentieth Century Fox keeps adding actors to the next installment in the X-Men film franchise. The already robust cast features the return of James McAvoy as Professor X, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, and Sophie Turner as Jean Grey.
Taking a second crack at adapting Chris Claremont’s 'The Dark Phoenix Saga', Simon Kinberg – who co-wrote 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand with Zak Penn – penned the X-Men: Dark Phoenix script and is making his directorial debut. The film is supposedly set in the early ‘90s, nearly a decade after X-Men: Apocalypse, and will show Jean struggling to control the Phoenix Force -- a powerful cosmic entity that she unleashed in the previous film while incinerating the world’s first mutant, En Sabah Nur. Knowing how powerful and dangerous the entity can be, the Shi’ar Empire (led by Jessica Chastain's Empress Lilandra) will come to Earth to capture and destroy the Phoenix. Meanwhile, the secondary storyline is rumored to focus on Magneto as a cult-like leader of the iconic mutant faction known as the Acolytes.
As for the new additions, That Hashtag Show reports that Eberhardt, a model-turned actress who made her film debut in 2016’s The Persian Connection, is playing Luna – which is believed to be a codename. Based on a leaked character breakdown, Luna is described as “beautiful,” “intense,” “exudes a sense of power,” “slightly unhinged,” and “a commanding presence.”
Shepherd, who is best known for his supporting roles in HBO's The Young Pope and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, will portray Jean’s father: Dr. John Grey. If an IMDB listing proves true, Shepherd will more than likely only turn up in the flashback sequences that will show The Originals star Summer Fontana as a young Jean Grey. In the comics, Dr. Grey was a history professor at Bard College. The character first appeared in X-Men #5 (May, 1964) and on-screen in X-Men: The Last Stand -- played by Adrian Hough.
Furthermore, Evan Jonigkeit and Gregg Lowe are said to be in negotiations with the studio to reprise their X-Men: Days of Future Past roles as Toad and Ink, respectively. They were among the mutant GI’s in Saigon, which also included Alex Summers/Havok (Lucas Till), that Mystique rescued from Major William Stryker. By disguising herself, Mystique was able to prevent Stryker from shipping her fellow mutants to Trask Industries to be experimented on.
Next: Jessica Chastain Confirms X-Men: Dark Phoenix Villain Role
Source: That Hashtag Show
