Despite an earlier report that she was in talks for a role, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Rosario Dawson is no longer in talks for 20th Century Fox’s X-Men spin-off, The New Mutants.
In her place, the studio is now in negotiations with Alice Braga (Queen of the South, Predators, I Am Legend) for the role of Dr. Cecilia Reyes, described as “a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself but also has more going on than she lets on.”
RELATED: Maisie Williams is Wolfsbane in New Mutants Art
She joins a cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Witch) as Magik, Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who) as Wolfsbane, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things, Shut In) as Cannonball, with newcomer Blu Hunt (The Originals) as Danielle Moonstar, and Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) as Sunspot. The shape-shifting alien Warlock will also appear as a CGI creation. Despite early rumors, James McAvoy will not make an appearance as Charles Xavier.
Set to go before cameras in July, director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has stated that The New Mutants will be “a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” with no costumes or supervillains. The plot is rumored to involve five teenage mutants held in a secret facility trying to get a handle on their dangerous powers. The film is shooting for a PG-13 rating, with a script by Boone and his childhood friend, producer Knate Lee (Bad Grandpa).
The New Mutants adapts the monthly comic book series of the same name that launched in 1982. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, The New Mutants follows on a group of teenage mutants as heroes in training in the Marvel Universe. The feature is expected to be a departure from the sci-fi-action spectacle of other X-Men films and is instead being described as a “Stephen King meets John Hughes”-style horror movie.
Last November, ComingSoon.net exclusively revealed a leaked concept animatic from the film, which features Wolfsbane, Magic and Cannonball facing Demon Bear. Check it out in the player below.
With a release date set for April 13, 2018, we should be hearing quite a few New Mutants cast updates in the days to come, so check back for updates as they become available.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)