Coming right after he gave us a look at what is assumed to be Apocalypse’s ship, Bryan Singer took to Instagram to reveal the film’s latest casting choice, announcing actor, Kodi Smit-McPhee (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Paranorman) as the film’s young Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler.
http://instagram.com/p/zOpm_oRD08/?modal=true
For those not overly familiar with the character, Nightcrawler was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, and first appeared in the iconic Giant-Size X-Men #1. He has been a part of the X-Men over the years in many different iterations, even leading his own British team of heroes known as Excalibur. The swashbuckling teleporter’s roots in the comics have some very interesting ties to the cinematic mythology, as his parents are Azazel (who we saw in First Class) and Mystique. It remains to be seen if this familial connection will be touched upon in the impending Apocalypse.
While the recent casting news of young Jean, Scott and Storm have received polarizing responses, Smit-McPhee has been a generally well received option for the German mutant. He has a set of unique facial features and a pretty lean physique, which means on a physical scale, he’s right on par with Nightcrawler. He also works well for a young Alan Cumming, who played Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United. So we’re excited to see what Apocalypse has in store for the”Elf.”
Kurt Wagner’s involvement in the movie raises a question; Could Nightcrawler be one of Apocalypse’s Four Horseman? Thus far, we know very little about the roles he and Gambit will play in the story, but their additions could make sense as Apocalypse’s henchmen, or new recruits for the Brotherhood of Mutants. Certainly, Nightcrawler’s teleportation abilities would be appealing to both villainous parties. Afterall, we all remember the attempted Presidential assassination in X2, which is still considered one of the best scenes in the movie canon.
X-Men: Apocalypse is said to be the last of the current trilogy started by X-Men: First Class, and continued by X-Men: Days of Future Past. Be sure to check back here for more about the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, and let us know what you think about the casting on our Facebook page or here in the comments.
Images: Marvel, Bryan Singer’s Instagram
Grizzly Bomb 