'New Mutants' news: Film casts its leads, will feature iconic 'X-Men' characters

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark on "Game of Thrones" HBO

While "X-Men: Apocalypse" will be the end of an era, reportedly ending the trilogy that started with "X-Men: First Class," 20th Century Fox will continue building their "X-Men" universe with the newly green-lit "New Mutants." According to a report from HitFlix, the film has already found three of its leads.

Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark on "Game of Thrones," will reportedly play the character Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane. As the name suggests, she has the ability to transform into a wolf at will. This will be the second "Game of Thrones" character cast in the X-Men Cinematic Universe, following Sophie Turner being cast as Jean Grey in "X-Men: Apocalypse."

Anya Taylor-Joy, who most recently impressed audiences with her role in "The Witch," will be playing Illyana Rasputin aka Magik, a mutant capable of teleporting and wielding spell-casting abilities. In the comics, she is the younger sister of Colossus, who has appeared in several "X-Men" films and in the "Deadpool" movie as well. 

However, it is likely that their ages will be reversed, with Illyana now being the elder sibling. This is likely due to the film's setting and will be similar to how Havok (Lucas Till) and Cyclops's (Tye Sheridan) ages were also reversed for the cinematic universe.

The third star coming in is Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe aka Storm. She will be appearing first in "X-Men: Apocalypse" as one of the villains, but given her relationship to the X-Men in the comics and her appearance in "New Mutants," it is likely she will be won over by the end of day.

Storm's inclusion also indicates that "New Mutants" will be set relatively a few months following "X-Men: Apocalypse," given that Storm is still young and able to fit in with the new group. 

James McAvoy is also confirmed to appear in a crucial role as Professor Charles Xavier, although there are no confirmations yet if any other iconic member of the X-Men will be making a cameo appearance. 

The film will be directed and co-written by Josh Boone. "New Mutants" has no specific release date at the time of writing.

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