If the X-Men film franchise had one problem, it’s that it cannot close out a trilogy. Rebooting has proven to be what the franchise needs to be reinvigorated and draw new audiences in. And spinoffs like Wolverine and Deadpool have also shown us that X-Men properties with mature content can be successful. But now it’s time for a new class of mutants to grace the big screen.

With New Mutants currently in development and scheduled for an April 2018 release, the film has started casting key roles. The first two to join are The Witch and Split‘s Anya Taylor-Joy and Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams. More on the story below.

The Hollywood Reporter says Taylor-Joy will play Magik and Williams will play Wolfsbane. According to their report, the script, written by Josh Boone and Knate Lee, will focus on the “angst-driven adventures of a diverse group of teens” consisting of Moonstar, Warlock, Sunspot, Cannonball, and the aforementioned Magik and Wolfsbane. In addition, Fox is also looking to cast ethnically appropriate actors to play the Native American Moonstar and the South American Sunspot.

Magik is the younger sister of Colossus, who has appeared in three X-Men films. While she can teleport from one location to the next, she also has the ability to use sorcery.

Wolfsbane is a Scottish mutant who possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf that is similar to a werewolf.

New Mutants is expected to start shooting this July, so expect the casting news to pick up in the coming weeks. Williams is best known for her role as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Sophie Turner, her on-screen sister, played Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse, and will likely reprise her role for the tentatively titled X-Men: Supernova. Taylor-Joy appeared in the chilling thriller The Witch and starred alongside James McAvoy in this year’s Split. And as some of you know, McAvoy played Professor Charles Xavier aka Professor X in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse. It’s still not clear if these films will be connected, but there is really no reason for it not to be.

New Mutants is expected to hit theaters on April 13, 2018

[Source: THR]