Skip to main content

Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac cast as the big, blue villain of X-Men: Apocalypse

star wars force awakens actor oscar isaac cast big blue villain x men apocalypse llewyn davis
Image used with permission by copyright holder
When it comes to Hollywood casting news, a lot can change in a month. After reports surfaced in October that The Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy was being offered the lead villain role in X-Men: Apocalypse, a new report suggests that the title role in the follow-up to X-Men: Days Of Future Past has been filled — by Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor Oscar Isaac.

According to Variety, Isaac has landed the role as the titular villain in the upcoming film, which is set in the 1980s and is rumored to feature young versions of famous X-Men team members Cyclops and Jean Grey.

First glimpsed during the end-credits scene in Days Of Future Past, the blue-skinned Apocalypse — whose given name is En Sabah Nur, “The First One” — is one of the mutant team’s most dangerous, recurring foes in the Marvel Comics universe. Believed to be the world’s first mutant, the comic-book version of Apocalypse was born around 3,000 B.C. in Egypt and used his powerful abilities and advanced technology to conquer the surrounding civilizations and enforce his brutal “survival of the fittest” philosophy.

Set to star in next year’s highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Isaac rose to prominence with a critically praised, starring role in 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. It’s unknown what role he’ll play in The Force Awakens.

X-Men: Apocalypse is expected to begin filming in April 2015 and is scheduled to hit theaters May 27, 2016. Confirmed cast members so far include James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Everything we know about Wednesday season 2
Wednesday Addams with Thing on her shoulder from Wednesday.

It took just over 30 years for The Addams Family to recapture the public's imagination after the 1991 film and its 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values. Wednesday not only reinvigorated Charles Addams' signature creations, but it also became one of Netflix's most popular shows, surpassing even Stranger Things. That's why it was appropriate that The Addams Family's Christina Ricci had a part in Wednesday season 1 that allowed her to pass the torch to the current Wednesday, Jenna Ortega.

Wednesday season 2 is on the way to Netflix, and we're sharing everything we know about the upcoming season, including when it will return, what to expect, and more.
When will Wednesday season 2 be released?
2025 at the earliest. Netflix has confirmed the nearly three-year gap between seasons 1 and 2, which was pushed back because of the actors and writers strikes of 2023.

Read more
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (May 2024)
Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons in Whiplash.

When the flow of new movies on Amazon Prime Video slows down, there's only one thing to do: Dive into the library! Prime Video added a lot of new films at the beginning of May, and two of our favorites were among them: Whiplash and Run Lola Run. Between those two movies, you've got a riveting drama and a thrilling movie that still dazzles 26 years after its release.

For romance lovers, The Idea of You is still on top of Prime Video's movie chart, and The Holdovers is doing pretty well for an emotional Christmas movie that's out of season by about six months.

Read more
The 50 best movies on Netflix right now (May 2024)
Scott Adkins in One More Shot.

This week, the most popular movies on Netflix are all about Shrek. Only the first and fourth Shrek films are on Netflix, but they're both in the top 5, and they've helped end the long run of The Super Mario Bros. Movie landing in the top 10. Even the hit rom-com Anyone but You has now been banished from the list.

But if you're not in the mood for Shrek or its final sequel, the action film One More Shot is the latest unheralded movie to rise on Netflix's list. The Peanut Butter Falcon is also a worthy addition, and it would have been enough to get Dakota Johnson out of movie jail if it had come out after Madame Web instead of five years before it.

Read more