Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio In Talks To Join ‘X … 
Cannes: Latest Theft Affects China Film Group VP 
UPDATE: Yahoo Board OKs $1.1B Deal To Acquire Tumblr … 
‘Epic’ Toon Begins $14.5M Overseas Rollout 
Cannes: Sony Classics Wins Stateside Rights To Asghar … 
‘Fast & Furious 6′ Breaks Records In … 
Specialty Box Office: ‘Frances Ha’ Triumphs As … 
‘Saturday Night Live’ Season Finale Posts … 
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ $164.5M Global: Lower … 
Cannes: Backup Media, Memento Bring Heat To Fest Helmer Jim … 
Cannes: Sundance Selects Acquires Dardenne Brothers’ … 
Cannes: Wrekin Hill Acquires U.S. On Gabriele … 
Bill Hader’s ‘SNL’ Stefon Farewell: Video 
Cannes: The Weinstein Co. Books ‘Suite … 
BBC Confirms ‘Doctor Who’ Season 8 
Finally, Cannes Dealing! Radius-TWC Nabs Director’s … 
Hammond On Cannes: Wet Fest’s Official Competition … 
‘Vampire Academy’ Adds ‘Modern … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Shark Tank’ Finale Up, … 
Cannes: Worldview Options Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn … 
UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
EXCLUSIVE: 20th Century Fox has rounded out the cast of X-Men: First Class, and the big surprise is that Mad Men star January Jones has been signed to play the role of Emma Frost, the gorgeous mutant with telepathic powers. At the same time, director Matthew Vaughn has set Zoe Kravitz to play Angel; Salvadore; Jason Flemyng will play Azazel, the father of Nightcrawler; Bill Milner to play the young version of Magneto (Michael Fassbender), and Morgan Lily to play the Young Raven. They join Fassbender, James McAvoy (Xavier), Nicholas Hoult (Beast) Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee), Lucas Till (Havoc), Edi Gathegi (Darwin), who round out the mutant contingent. Kevin Bacon is playing the villain, Rose Byrne will play McAvoy’s love interest Moira MacTaggert, and Oliver Platt is playing The Man in Black. Production begins August 23 in London.
UTA client Jones, who plays Mad Men‘s Betty Francis — the recently divorced wife of Don Draper (Jon Hamm) — will emerge from that 1960s setting to play Emma Frost, the mutant also known as the White Queen. While speculative reports had Alice Eve playing that role, no deal was concluded. Mad Men wraps its fourth season in early September, and she will be able to jump right into the role. Jones received her first Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama, for Mad Men.
Kravitz (the daughter of singer and Precious star Lenny Kravitz) is set to star in the upcoming George Miller-directed Mad Max: Fury Road; Flemyng most recently starred in Kick-Ass, Milner is best known from Son of Rambow and Lilly’s credits include Flipped and 2012.
Loading ...
JJ is a BAD choice for this role. WTF?!
ITA – I like January Jones as Betty Draper, but I can’t imagine her having the range for an action role like Emma Frost.
The casting for this movie in general feels like a bad TV movie rather than a big screen blockbuster.
January Jones plays on one of the most critically acclaimed tv shows on right now, and you’re worried about her “range” to play one of the X-Men on what’s destined to quite possibly be a no-name flop? I liked the previous movies, but they’re not exactly cinematic masterpieces. I bet she’ll actually do a good job.
Who cares if she is on a critically acclaimed TV show. Her role is of a stay at home mom… what is compelling about that? Besides X-Men movies are not any good, they should make these films R rated and try something new and different.
“Her role is of a stay at home mom… what is compelling about that?”
Wow… misogyny much?
You people obviously are plants of Alice Eve (lmao). Have any of you actually watched Mad Men? And I don’t mean catching a clip or an episode here and there — but actually watching it. If you had, you would know why JJ is an Emmy-nominated dramatic actress!
To describe her character as just “a stay at home mom” is hilariously uninformed. Her brilliance in making a 60s era homemaker into a pseduo-schizo yet loveable woman is extraordinary.
“Her brilliance in making a 60s era homemaker into a pseduo-schizo yet loveable woman is extraordinary.” That’s funny.
I watch the series, not just clips. This season so far… weak compared to last season. The writers should have left Don’s background more mysterious. Any other actress could have done her role… anyone really. Anyone gets nominated in popular dramas such as Mad Men… Gees, I wonder why she has not won anything?
That IS a surprise. Well, let’s see what happens…
I thought Alice Eve was playing Emma Frost?
Azazel?! You mean that the movie is going to draw from one of the all-time *worst* X-Men stories, the one that retconned Nightcrawler into being half-demon with bizarre plot mechanics (bizarre even by the standards of your typically baroque superhero story), the one that betrayed Nightcrawler as a character, the one that basically made then-writer Chuck Austen persona non grata in the comics medium?
I so totally do NOT want to see that movie now. First we get The Last Stand betraying both the first two movies and the greatest storyline from the comics and now we get this movie mining from the *worst* storyline from the comics.
I enjoyed Layer cake and loved Vaughn’s adaptation of Stardust (Haven’t seen Kick-Ass yet because, well, I liked — but not loved — the comic), so I’d normally be willing to cut someone like him some slack, but with Fox being lead by Tom Rothman, who is notorious for his contempt for superheroes, I have absolutely no faith that the movie will work. Either the studio (perhaps even at Rothman’s direction) will sabotage the production if there’s even a hint of a chance that it’ll work or Vaughn will get no real input or support from someone, anyone, at Fox who might believe in the project and steer Vaughn in the right direction if he were to go off the rail.
— Rob
Hmmm, interesting casting that, and kinda flies in the face of the too-young-by-half other casting they’ve done so far. Vaughn has slowly tortured what little enthusiasm I’d had for this since the moment he came on board.
How long have they been working on gathering their cast, since the Bronze Age? I have to wonder if the script isn’t done yet and they’re filling roles as the pages get completed.
At the rate they’re moving this thing won’t see theaters til after the Avengers.
Nice figure!!
I wanna be a nice body.
twitter malyk
Okay this has to be cast misinformation or there is a mistake in the reporting on whose playing who. Angel was never a girl in the Comics. He’s always been a rich upperclass white dude. Not saying you can’t change things up but casting Lenny Kravitz’ daughter as Angel is I guess inspired?
I don’t this is the same Angel. “Last Stand” had Warren Worthington as Angel in that film.
This movie is really taking characters out of the comic and mixing up the timeline. Emma Frost was in Wolverine. Isn’t this film set earlier than that film?
This casting looks terrible. The only bright spot is Nicholas Hoult, and only because he is a brilliant actor. It’s like he just wants to ruin the comics. Lost all respect for Vaughn
“Zoe Kravitz to play Angel”..? Angel is a white male in the comic book.. why would they change a character so drastically?!
There were two angels. The first was a white male. I am assuming they are using the second, a female of color. She takes on the title AFTER the first Angel moves on to become Death and later Archangel. Not sure how the new Angel will work out. The new Angel, in the comic book, has insect wings rather than bird wings.
As mentioned, the Angel character mentioned is a young woman of color. but she’s not codenamed Angel, it’s her actual first name.
Cautions optimism, but I too was non-plussed by the inclusion of Azazel. I guess it could be worse, we could have Deadpool with optic blasts….
Angel was also a white male in the third X-men movie.
Very very very nice.
Like rice.
this just sounds more and more awful with each passing moment.
Wow. After reading the reported lineup of mutants dis seems more like X-Men: Second Class then First Class. I really don’t know what to expect from this film other than an a mediocre film at best with multiple plots that end up complicating the story instead of helping it. It’s X3 all over again.
UGH! REALLY!? Don’t you need someone with personality to play Emma Frost? January Jones has none. Love her as Betty Draper, but that’s cuz the role is the only type of role she can play.
Ok, it could be one of 2 things. Kravitz is playing Angel Salvador(Or Tempest), or this is a total misdirect and she is actually playing a young Storm. She certainly looks the part.
A comedy of casting errors will make for a comedy at best. Guess I’ll get ready to have a few sardonic laughs watching this one.
Well, Emma Frost is cold, ruthless and an ambitious. She is also stuck up and a master manipulate. In the comic book, she starts off as a villain. She joins the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. I think the casting makes sense based on what I saw on Mad Men of the actress. Its not a physical role, but instead one that requires someone who can be an anti-hero to some degree. I wonder if that’s the direction they are going with her.
Good work UTA public relations person for burying the fact that Alice Eve got recast
Welcome to Flop Land
I wonder if Sara Ramaker actually had anything at all to do with the Zoe Kravitz deal, or whether she just took credit for it.
Wait, how is Zoe Kravitz playing Angel? For one thing, he’s a guy.
Well, I have to wonder if the script isn’t done yet and they’re filling roles as the pages get completed. Anyways, thanks for the post!
The online comments over this movie’s casting puzzle me. I’ve even read stuff that suggests JJ is not attractive enough (!).
That people automatically associate her character Betty Draper’s persona to her is a pretty good indication of the job she’s done, on the best show on television I might add.
Let’s hope JJ is not as awful as her SNL performance last year.
January Jones say: In your face, Ashton!
Matthew Vaughn is going to ruin this movie like he’s ruined all the rest he’s directed. Granted his films are good looking but you can’t replace the heart that’s missing. Kick-Ass was pathetic and devoid of ANY laughs, could not even sit through half of that garbage let alone the dullness of Layer Cake and miss-mash of Stardust. Officially off the Vaughn bandwagon, where’s Richie!