Jennifer Lawrence, the actress who's been getting rave reviews for her work in "Winter's Bone," has been cast as Mystique in Fox's "X-Men: First Class."
Fox has been furiously casting the movie, which focuses on Marvel's superpowered team X-Men in a younger incarnation than the previous trilogy.
Matthew Vaughn has been casting a slew of younger actors to play opposite James McAvoy, who is playing Professor Charles Xavier, and Michael Fassbender, who is portraying Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto. Nicholas Hoult, Alive Eve, Caleb Landry Jones and Aaron Johnson are among those playing mutants looking for mentor figures and teachers to guide them with their powers. Kevin Bacon is playing the villain, whose identity has not been revealed, as the studio keeps plot details under lock and key.
Mystique, who was played by Rebecca Romijn in the trilogy, is a shapeshifter who can mimic other people, though she cannot replicate superpowers. In comics lore, she was revealed to be the mother of X-Man Nightcrawler.
The movie is rolling towards a late summer start in London.
The role is a big jump in terms of exposure for Lawrence, who is generating awards buzz for "Winter's Bone," and also marks her first studio feature. The actress is about to topline thriller "The House at the End of the Street," which begins production in Ottawa in August, and will then segue to England for "X-Men."
The CAA-repped actress also appears in "The Beaver," the Jodie Foster-directed movie starring Mel Gibson.
