X-Men: First Class, Matthew Vaughn’s new film showcasing the early days of the heroic mutants, has been getting a lot of press recently as casting calls get finalized. While many negotiations are still going on, such as the possibility of Josh Hutcherson playing Cyclops and Kevin Pennington playing Multiple Man, several are set in stone. Here’s what we know:

  • James McAvoy as Professor X: The star of Atonement and Wanted will play the X-Men’s mentor, the telepathic Charles Xavier. The film will presumably take place before Xavier’s crippling accidentand before he went bald.
  • Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr: German-Irish Fassbender is playing Xavier’s friend and rival who eventually becomes Magneto, capable of manipulating magnetic forces. The fracture between the two men will likely be a basis of the film.
  • Alice Eve as Emma Frost: Recently starring in She’s Out of My League, this British star will play the seductive but ice cold telepath, who in the comics has gone from the X-men’s deadly foe to a central ally.
  • Nicholas Hoult as Beast: This child star played alongside Hugh Grant in About a Boy. As the acrobatic and cultured Hank McCoy aka Beast, expect to see Hoult doing a lot more moving.
  • Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee: This unknown actor has signed on as Banshee, an Irish mutant capable of unleashing a sonic scream to incapacitate his enemies. The character is best remembered for his tempestuous adult relationship with Moira MacTaggert, who is currently being cast. Rosamund Pike (An Education; Pride and Prejudice) is considered a front-runner.
  • Lucas Till as Havok: Star of family fare like Hannah Montana: The Movie and The Spy Next Door, Till will be playing the brother of Cyclops, Alex Summers aka Havok. In the comics, he represents the foil to Cyclop’s straight-arrow, authoritative personality.