X-Men: First Class casting updates

With Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class set to begin filming in the fall, we’ve heard many rumors about casting. However, according to Showbiz411, the rumor that Benjamin Walker to portray Hank McCoy has been confirmed.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the comics, Hank McCoy is accepted into the X-mansion and is given the codename “Beast” for his animalistic abilities. The character was previously played by Kelsey Grammer in X-men: The Last Stand and made a brief cameo in X2: X-men United. Like Grammer, Walker is a Julliard graduate and is part of the New York Theater.

And according to Deadline Hollywood, Michael Fassbender has been confirmed to be in negotiations with Twentieth Century Fox to portray Magneto. Fassbender was also rumored to be in talks to be the villain for Columbia Picture’s Spider-Man reboot. While he certainly won’t be able to play villains for both films, Fox is confident that a deal will be made with the German-Irish actor. The film will center on how Erik Lensherr and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) started the institute and what drove them to become enemies.

Jane Goldman is polishing up the script written by Jaimie Moss. Bryan Singer will be producing along with Lauren Schuler Donner, Gregory Goodman and Simon Kinberg. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in London this September.

X-Men: First Class will open on June 3, 2011.