Deadline Hollywood reports that Nicholas Hoult is confirmed to play Hank McCoy, aka Beast, in Matthew Vaughn’s “X-Men: First Class.”
As we recently reported, casting for Beast was a bit up in the air. Ben Walker was originally fired and rehired for the role before bailing altogether frustrated over the studio’s uncertainty. Enter Nicholas Hoult. The actor, best known to American audiences for his roles in “A Single Man” and “About A Boy” was recently prepping to shoot George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” which has now been delayed until February 2011 because of additional 3D-izing and the fact that it’s going to be two films long. If he seems a might scrawny for the part (he’d be a better Angel, no?), consider that he may have already been bulking up for the Aussie actioner and a transition to “X-Men: First Class” isn’t too surprising. He’s available and he can act.
We like the choice; Hoult is a solid actor and the character, while definitely brawny, is also one of the brainiest of the bunch. With the likes of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender (and most likely Aaron Johnson as Cyclops), the cast is shaping up quite nicely and should temper fears that film was looking at “Twilight”-ish boys for some of the remaining roles; these guys can seriously act (will someone listen to our suggestion of Imogen Poots for Jean Grey, please?).
An update as we go along. Caleb Landry Jones (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”), who was already rumored to play the part, has now been officially cast as the Irish sonic-screaming mutant Banshee according to Variety. Jones also has a small part in David Fincher’s upcoming “The Social Network.”
The film is gearing up for an August shoot in London this summer and will hit theaters on June 3, 2011.
