Entertainment Weekly has peeled back the curtain on our very first look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Oscar Isaac as the titular, God-like villain in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Promising a “chaotic world of conflict and war and destruction,” Bryan Singer’s Apocalypse is set to conclude Fox’s lucrative prequel trilogy following the acclaimed X-Men: First Class and last year’s time-hopping Days of Future Past. For the third installment in this sub-series, though, Singer and his creative team are tackling the topic of ancient mutantism, focusing on Isaac’s all-powerful deity who sees no difference between humans and mutants – only the weak and the strong.
“Apocalypse is a pretty cool character,” Singer enthuses of the villain played by Oscar Isaac. “X-Men is always centered around the fight between mutants and humans. This one is a bit different, it deals with the concept of ancient mutantism, gods and men. It deals with issues that are global. Apocalypse makes no distinction between humans and mutants, only between the weak and the strong. He as a character is what is so ultimately compelling.”
Such is the huge and expansive cast of X-Men: Apocalypse that while Oscar Isaac is undoubtedly the principal attraction for many, fans are chomping at the bit to see Bryan Singer’s interpretation of a younger group of mutants. Set photos have already revealed the likes of Jean, Scott, Storm and Nightcrawler, and here the director talks about how audiences will notice some palpable differences between these younger characters and the full-grown mutants we know and love from the original trilogy.
“These are very different characters than they were in the films X-Men 1, 2, and 3,” he states. “They are at times in their lives when they are at the most opposite of what they would become. That’s a thrill to me, to take characters I crafted so many years ago and flip them completely on their side and show how they evolved and began.”
In related news, we learned just yesterday that the upcoming threequel may not mark Jennifer Lawrence’s final appearance as Mystique after all, contrary to the actress’ previous comments about her expiring contract. According to The Hunger Games starlet, Fox is still ruminating on the possibility of a spinoff film for her femme fatale, though such an adjacent project would likely hinge on the success of X-Men Apocalypse.
Lastly, during the film’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Mad Max: Fury Road star Nicholas Hoult seemingly confirmed that William Stryker (Josh Helman) will return to the fray for the sequel.
Bryan Singer’s upcoming comic book epic stars McAvoy as Professor X, Isaac as Apocalypse, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler, Olivia Munn as Psylocke, Evan Peters as Quicksilver, Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggery, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Lucas Till as Havoc, Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Lana Condor as Jubilee, Ben Hardy as Angel and Tómas Lemarquis as Caliban.
X-Men: Apocalypse debuts on May 27, 2016.