Dan Stevens To Lead FX’s X-Men Spinoff ‘Legion’
Cousin Matthew is going to be a superhero.Downton Abbeyalum andThe Gueststar Dan Stevens has just been cast to lead FX’s X-Men spinoffLegion, alongsideParks and Recreation’sAubrey PlazaandFargo’sJean Smart. The trio joinFargobreakoutRachel Keller,who was cast last month.
Varietyreports Stevens will play main character David Haller, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. He’s spent much of his life going in and out of psychiatric hospitals, trying hard to recover, but he’s just about to give up when he meets the girl of his dreams. He begins to wonder if the voices and visions in his head might be real, and not just a symptom of his mental illness. In the X-Men comics, David is the son of X-Men founder Charles Xavier.
Plaza will play David’s friend Lenny, who is described as follows: “Despite a life of drugs and alcohol abuse, she knows that any day now her life is gonna turn around, which gives her the likeable energy of the impossible optimist despite her rough demeanor.” The “rough demeanor” part sounds right up Plaza’s alley, but the “likeable energy of the impossible optimist” part might represent a change of pace for her.
Smart has been cast as Melanie, “a nurturing, demanding therapist with a sharp mind and unconventional methods.” As previously reported, Keller is “a scrappy, optimistic young woman in her 20s” who may or may not prove to have superpowers.Legionreunites Smart and Keller withFargocreatorNoah Hawley, who is developing the X-Men spinoff.
Stevens first broke out as Cousin Matthew onDownton Abbey. He departed the series after three seasons, and since then has been working on building up his film career. He turned heads and attracted widespread acclaim as David, the mysterious visitor inThe Guest, and has also appeared inThe Fifth Estate,A Walk Among the TombstonesandNight at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Next up for him is Disney’s live-action adaptation ofBeauty and the Beast, in which he plays the Beast.
Shooting onLegionis expected to get underway in March. The series only has a pilot order from FX at this point, but between its very on-trend concept (superpowers are so hot right now) and its all-star creative team and cast, we’re guessing there’s a pretty good chance it’ll move forward.
Lauren Shuler Donner,Bryan Singer,Simon Kinberg,Jeph Loeb,Jim Chory, andJohn Cameronwill executive produce theLegionpilot with Hawley, who is also writing.Legionis one of two X-Men-inspired TV projects in development at the moment;the other isHellfire, a 1960s series set up at Fox.
