Oh man, crazy. Go Joss. But yeah, still can't help but feel the movie will be lame. They're just recycling the same crap. Joss' cure story was spiced up with aliens and resurrection and innuendo and teenage emotion. I don't feel the same height will be achieved with this.

narky | August 17, 09:36 CET

Didn't IMDB used to say that she was a cast member in Serenity? But then she wasn't able to do it/or it was just a rumor? I don't know. But she was AWESOME in 24. Should've got a emmy nomination.

eddy | August 17, 09:44 CET

I agree, eddy. She was one of the best things about the last season of 24. I'm glad she's getting more film work, and choosing her for Dr. Rao sounds like great casting to me.

Knowing the movie's plot is likely being drawn from Joss's comic work should be a happy thing because the story is so strong. Unfortunately, the fact that he won't be the one directing the material bums me out. I have major concerns with the project due to all the drama that's preceded getting it off the ground, but I do hope Joss gets pots of money for consultation.

Wiseblood | August 17, 10:46 CET

She was announced in one of the very early press releases as in Serenity, although she isn't actually in the final cut. I can't be 100% on this, but I think her part got cut out unfortunately.

gossi | August 17, 12:21 CET

Okay, who is our resident X-pert? (Can you forgive me for that horrid pun?) Did Dr. Rao first appear in Astonishing, or has she been in other X-books?

Kiba | August 17, 15:53 CET

I think she first appeared in Astonishing X-Men.

Simon | August 17, 18:08 CET

Her first appearance was in AXM, but they're showing that she's had history with the Beast as colleagues and all that.

Emma Frost | August 17, 21:22 CET

Check out this comparison pic.

eddy | August 17, 22:38 CET

The Beast (aka Hank McCoy) will be played by Kelsey Grammar. I can imagine he and Shohreh Aghdashloo having great chemistry together. This sounds like great casting to me. Hopefully a script will be produced worthy of these two fine actors.

I sure hope the powers that be can pull X3 off. Not sure how they are going to be able to introduce so many new characters AND give Halle Berry a meatier part. They did drop the Nightcrawler character... did anyone else from the first two X-Films get dropped?

Perhaps Fox/Marvel are also shooting extra bits just for the triple DVD extended release that will inevitably follow...

mattro

Hjermsted | August 18, 01:52 CET

Hjermsted, I heard a rumor about an important character getting knocked off in an early scene of the movie because of another important character, but I'm not sure how true this is. In any case, not naming any names, coz that would be wrong.

Emma Frost | August 18, 02:10 CET

Bah, Halle Berry was the weakest link in the first two movies, IMO. Meatier part? Bah. And Nightcrawler was the best thing about X-2. Again, IMO.

OTOH, I do like the Kelsey Grammar/Shohreh Aghdashloo pairing so who knows?

SoddingNancyTribe | August 18, 05:39 CET

hey emma, do you care to name those names in some nice spoiler text for those of us who would like to know?

400lb_Gorilla | August 18, 06:17 CET

I agree wholeheartedly. I am always cursing the people who cast her in the first place; every time I hear she might not do it I get excited, and I'm always disappointed. In the first movie, she had an accent. In the second, no accent. She always seems more fragile to me than Storm should. I mean, this woman survived being practically crushed. She was considered a goddess. She is so tall that it's difficult to hide her in a crowd. I don't think "Halle Berry" when I hear those things.

(Virtual cookie to anyone who can guess who I do think of.)

Kiba | August 18, 06:28 CET

I liked Storm in the first two movies.
I don't think she was an useless character, It´s only that there were other characters more important.
But according to her last interviews, all of that seems that will change, so... maybe there's hope (for x-philes :p).

I´m still afraid of Brett Ratnet, but ey, he's only the director, all he has to do is to move the camera.
Maybe there's a good script behind. At least it sounds interesting.

Angel TheVampire | August 18, 06:54 CET

400lb_Gorilla...and I hope this inviso-text thing works...Oh, and hey? Spoiler below, so beware. :-D

Apparently when Phoenix returns, she goes all crazy or something...in any case, apparently Cyclops bites the dust early in the movie. Not surprising considering that he's doing Superman Returns as well, and there's a whole lot of bad blood there. But yeah...then again, it's not like he had much to do in the first two movies anyway.

Emma Frost | August 18, 11:00 CET

Oh come on. They can't adpat gifted. Despite the fact it's still (for all intents and purposes) a new story, it's not exactly a classic. I mean, it's great, it's enerjetic and it's a big jerk off to some of my favourite X-People (Kitty and Emma), but it's no DDark Phoenix Saga or Days of Future Past, or even Inferno.

Besides, if we're going to have a geneticist in X3 bring on Moira!

Gouki | August 18, 13:35 CET

I thought based on the end of the first movie that it was going to be the Dark Phoenix Saga. Also, I agree with Gouki - Moira is the best.

Kiba | August 18, 17:36 CET

Gouki, Moira McTaggert is in X3 as well.

Emma Frost | August 18, 19:15 CET