The rapidly expanding cast of X-Men: Apocalypse just got a little bigger with the addition of Attack of the Show and Magic Mike actress Olivia Munn, who will play the mutant Psylocke in the upcoming film.
The former talk show host most recently appeared in the Johnny Depp film Mortdecai and had a regular role in Aaron Sorkin’s series The Newsroom, and will now join the cast of Bryan Singer’s concluding chapter of the trilogy that began with 2011’s X-Men: First Class.
A longtime member of the X-Men in Marvel Comics continuity, Psylocke’s comic-book origin is — like many of the X-Men — a little convoluted. The sister of the British mutant superhero known as Captain Britain, Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock is a powerful telepath (much like Charles Xavier) whose mind inhabits the body of a Japanese ninja named Kwannon. Along with her considerable mental abilities, she’s able to focus her telepathic powers to create “psychic daggers” to go along with her formidable martial-arts skills.
X-Men: Apocalypse will feature the return of cast members James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Charles Xavier and Erik “Magneto” Lensherr, respectively, as well as franchise stars Jennifer Lawrence (as the shape-changing mutant Mystique) and Nicholas Hoult (as Hank “Beast” McCoy). The film is also expected to bring back Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert and Evan Peters as Quicksilver, as well as feature the debut of newcomers Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, and Tye Sheridan as younger versions of well-known mutant superheroes Storm, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Angel, and Cyclops.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens actor Oscar Isaac has been cast as the titular villain of the film, Apocalypse, a powerful and ancient mutant in Marvel Comics continuity who’s obsessed with forcing humanity to reach its full potential through survival of the fittest. The screenplay for the film was penned by Simon Kinberg.
X-Men: Apocalypse is scheduled to hit theaters May 27, 2016.
