Sophie Turner, Photo: Tatler UK
A couple of months back, The Wrap had reported a list of young actors and actresses that were in contention to take over the roles of Young Jean Grey and Scott Summers in the forthcoming X-Men: Apocalypse. While movement on these roles had slowed a bit due the holidays, it looks like some more contenders have joined the fray, along with an additional shortlist of actresses that are testing for the role of Storm.
According to Latino Review, Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Jamie Blackley (If I Stay), and Tye Sheridan (Mud) are in line for the role of Cyclops. Jeff Sneider over at The Wrap states that Sheridan is the leading contender for the role. He’s a phenomenal talent, so its hard not to get excited about that possibility, especially if Bryan Singer might finally give Cyclops his due for once.
Also, in that same tweet, Sneider states that Chloe Grace Moretz passed on the role of Jean Grey, opening up the possibility of Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) or Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, The Grand Budapest Hotel). We’ve yet to see Turner put on an American accent as far as I know, but she seems the more ideal choice. Though truthfully, if you dye Ronan’s hair red, I’d probably say the same for her. She’s the performer with the most diverse resume of anyone on this list.
Alexandra Shipp, publicity photo
As for Ororo, its being reported that Alexandra Shipp (Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B) and Zendaya Coleman (Shake It Up) are testing for the role. Given that Apocalypse takes place in the 1980’s, the chances of getting a Mohawked Storm are pretty high.
Whoever is cast, they’ll be joining the already returning Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, and the recently cast as the title villain Oscar Isaac. X-Men: Apocalypse will release on May 27. 2016.