Anya Taylor-Joy Confirms James McAvoy’s Return in ‘New Mutants’
Anya Taylor-Joy has long been rumored for a role in Josh Boone’s New Mutants, one of Fox’s intriguing new additions to the X-Men franchise. Although Taylor-Joy — like rumored co-star Maisie Williams — can’t say with 100 percent certainty that she’s actually going to be in the movie, she can confirm someone who is: James McAvoy, her co-star in M. Night Shyamalan’s new psychological thriller, Split.
When ComingSoon asked Taylor-Joy about the New Mutants project at a recent junket, the actress expressed her excitement about the project, though she stopped short of officially confirming her role:
I’m a big fan so I’d love to be a part of it. I can’t say very much, but I would love to be a part of it. I think this year’s gonna be very exciting.
Taylor-Joy is just one of many rumored names for the project, which is also said to star Game of Thrones favorite Maisie Williams and Nat Wolff, who appeared in Boone’s The Fault in Our Stars. It just so happens that Taylor-Joy’s latest film, Split, co-stars another actor who might appear in New Mutants: James McAvoy, rumored to be reprising his role as Professor Charles Xavier from the recent X-Men films.
When asked about McAvoy’s part in New Mutants, Taylor-Joy said, “I mean, I think James is already a part of it, isn’t he?” — suggesting that his role is a bit more official than her own, which would make sense based on McAvoy’s existing relationship to the franchise.
Last November, a nifty little animatic for New Mutants leaked online featuring Demon Bear, a villain from a comic-book arc which Boone and co-writer Knate Gwaltney have cited as their favorite. Taylor-Joy said she’s already seen that piece of pre-viz animation, which she describes as “pretty cool” — though it’s still unclear if Demon Bear will officially wind up in the film.
Fox has yet to set a release date for the project, which will begin filming this year and is rumored for a spring 2018 release.