It looks as if we can add a new character to the list of mutants appearing in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class. In a recent interview with Comic Book Movie, surfer and potential first-time actress Erica Hosseini revealed that she recently auditioned for the role of Willow in the upcoming film.
Per Wikipedia, Willow first appeared in the short-lived 1996 comic series X-Nation 2099. In terms of mutant powers, she has the ability to mimic the shape of other beings although her facial marking remain prevalent (a poor man's Mystique?). Hit the jump for more on what Hosseini had to say about the role as well as why I believe Willow's inclusion in the film could be cause for concern.
In the interview, Hosseini admits that the role seemed similar to that of Mystique's all the way down to the potential use of body paint (an idea I am certainly not opposed to). While the consideration of the inexperienced Housseini (however minimal it may be) points toward Willow being a peripheral character at best in the film, I still cannot help but wonder why a character that was created less than 15 years ago is being included in a script that supposedly surrounds the events that lead to the creation of the original X-Men (created in 1963).
If X-Men Origins: Wolverine taught us anything, it is that straying from the source material is slippery territory when dealing with characters as beloved as many comic book characters are (on second thought, maybe Deadpool shouldn't have giant Katana's for arms and his mouth sewn shut). That being said, First Class writer Jane Goldman did (with the help of co-writer Vaughn) produce an entertaining, albeit not completely faithful, comic adaptation earlier this year with Kick-Ass. Thus, I will give the two the benefit of the doubt. For now.
X-Men: First Class is set to open June 3rd, 2011 and currently stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Alice Eve.
