Despite every bad trend that lies in waiting for The Last Exorcism to fall into, director Daniel Stamm deftly provides the route for this “found-footage” horror to excel and give us a lean and thrilling character study with scary results. Certain rules simply do not exist as a subtle but involving musical score accompanies the story of a reverend that is out to disprove exorcisms by unwittingly taking on a final challenge that puts everything in doubt. The film is all the more remarkable for the sparse special effects and the PG-13 rating that defies the odds with crafty camerawork. For those not seeking the blood bath often associated with horror these days and willing to put up with a genuine storyline being established in the first third, you will be rewarded with a horror flick that makes you think more than it will make you jump.

With filming set to begin next month in London, X-Men: First Class casting news remains unrelenting.  The latest casting news comes from Deadline who says that Kevin Bacon is in negotiations to play an unnamed villain in the film.  Some are speculating that Bacon is in talks to play Mister Sinister.  It’s not bad speculation.  The central plotline involves friends Professor Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) coming into conflict over the relationship between humanity and mutantkind.  It would make sense that the villain be a human who becomes a mutant through genetic modification.  Sinister would be a physical embodiment of Xavier and Magneto’s conflict.

This latest piece of First Class-related casting news follows today’s earlier story that Lucas Till was attached to play Havok and Aaron Johnson wasn’t playing Cyclops (or any other character in the movie), and yesterday’s news that Nicholas Hoult and Caleb Landry Jones were playing Beast and Banshee, respectively.  Hit the jump for what we believe to be the current state of the film’s cast.  Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class is set to open on June 3, 2011.

Here’s an interesting bit of casting and un-casting news for you today.  EW.com reports that Lucas Till (Hannah Montana: The Movie) has been cast at the mutant “Havok” in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class.  It’s news that follows yesterday’s wave of casting news that had Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man) playing Beast, Caleb Landry Jones (The Last Exorcism) playing Banshee, and Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) playing Cyclops.  EW also says that last bit of casting is false and that Johnson isn’t playing Cyclops or any other role in the film.

But then Entertainment Weekly goes on to say that these actors may be playing characters that are different than the ones being reported.  Hit the jump for what’s baffling and where the (presumed) casting currently stands.

Last week, stage actor Benjamin Walker dropped out Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class in order to reprise his starring role on Broadway in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.  Deadline now reports that Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man) will replace Walker in the role of “Beast”.  Hoult gave a breakout performance in 2002′s About a Boy and then grew up to be handsome beyond all reason.  He was most recently seen in Clash of the Titans and is signed on to co-star in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road.  Hoult’s casting follows news from earlier today that Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson is reportedly set to play Cyclops.  Additionally, Variety confirms that Caleb Landry Jones (Friday Night Lights TV series) will play Banshee.

Hit the jump for more information on Beast as well as a list of the current cast members and the roles they’re playing.  X-Men: First Class is set to open on June 3, 2011.

On the heels of yesterday’s news that Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) will play Emma Frost in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class, there may be some more casting news this morning.  Latino Review reports that Caleb Landry Jones “is the top contender to bag the role of Sean Cassidy aka Banshee.”  Who is Caleb Landry Jones?  He did a turn on Friday Night Lights, is in the upcoming The Last Exorcism, and was “Boy on Bike” in No Country for Old Men (pictured above).

And who is Banshee?  Banshee’s mutant ability is a sonic scream (he can also fly for some reason).  Wikipedia notes that “Banshee was always a decade older than most of the X-Men.”  In the comics, he also falls in love with X-Men ally Dr. Moira MacTaggart, a character rumored to be in the film and played by Rosamund Pike (An Education).  Consider Jones’ age, I doubt that this will carry over into the movie.  Hit the jump for more on X-Men: First Class, which is slated to open on June 3, 2011.