FX’s X-Men spinoff, Legion finally has its leading man…and a very strong supporting cast.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Stevens has been cast as David Heller, the main character of Legion alongside Aubrey Plaza and Jean Smart. While the Legion series won’t share continuity with the X-Men movies, it will take place in a world where mutants are real.
In Marvel’s comic book universe, David Heller was the son of X-Men founder Charles Xavier and potentially the most powerful mutant in the world. David suffered from multiple personalities, each of whom had a mutant power of their own. Stevens is best known for starring in Downton Abbey, an acclaimed British drama series.
Plaza’s casting comes as a surprise, as she had seemingly moved on to features after seven seasons on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. She will be playing Lenny, a new character created for the series. Lenny is described as an addict who “knows that any day now her life is going to turn around,” and she is also called an “impossible optimist with a rough demeanor.”
Related: Fargo’s Rachel Keller Lands Female Lead In FX’s Legion Series
Smart is the second Fargo veteran who has been added to Legion, after Rachel Keller was cast as the female lead last month. While details on Keller’s character have not been revealed, Smart will portray Melanie, a “nurturing, demanding therapist with a sharp mind and unconventional methods.”
There may even be a hint about Keller’s character in the latest description of David Haller: “a haunted man, trying to find his way back to sanity, but he’s getting tired and is about to give up when he meets the girl of his dreams.” Personally, I think that Keller is going to portray one of David’s alternate personalities.
Legion will begin production next month, and may receive a series order soon after.
