“Excited to welcome @kodismitmcphee to the cast of #XmenApocalypse as young #Nightcrawler,” wrote Singer in a caption accompanying a photo of Smit-McPhee.
Smit-McPhee most recently played the son of Jason Clarke’s character in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and will now take on the role popularized by Alan Cumming in 2003’s X2, the second installment of the original series of X-Men movies. Widely regarded as the best film of that trilogy (and regarded by some as the best film in the overall franchise), X2 was directed by Singer and featured Cumming as the teleporting, blue-skinned mutant whose demonic appearance belied his gentle demeanor.
Smit-McPhee will join franchise newcomers Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, and Tye Sheridan, who play young versions of Storm, Jean Grey, and Cyclops, respectively, as well as Oscar Isaac as the powerful mutant Apocalypse.
Returning stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult are all set to reprise their roles for X-Men: Apocalypse, which is said to be the conclusion of the trilogy that began with 2011’s X-Men: First Class.
X-Men: Apocalypse is scheduled to hit theaters May 27, 2016.
