The filming for Legion, a new TV series launched by Marvel and based on the X-Men comic books, will begin next month. Along with Legion, Hellfire, another X-Men production, is scheduled to take over the small screen, but it’s on standby, as its initial showrunners Evan Katz and Manny Coto had to give up the X-Men series for 24: Legacy.
Legion seems to be moving fast with production-related details, so we’re not going to hear that filming was canceled. A big part of the cast has been announced, including Rachel Keller (Fargo), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Dan Stevens (The Guest), and Jean Smart (Fargo).
The official character descriptions don’t give much insight into the roles they will play, concentrating instead on their personalities.
Rachel Keller will play the role of Syd, who is street-smart and egocentric, but sensitive. Aubrey Plaza will portray Lenny, David’s friend, who’s been abusing drugs and alcohol, but who also sparks with optimism. Jean Smart will be a therapist, probably David Haller’s.
Last, but not least, main character David Haller has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which could actually be a sign of his mutant nature. He’ll be portrayed by the star of The Guest, Dan Stevens.
A new member joins the cast of Legion
The latest news introduces us to a new character and member of Legion’s cast. Deadline reports that Amber Midthunder (Banshee, Longmire) will portray "Kerry, a woman of action with a childlike sense of wonder. A true savant, Kerry has lived a sheltered, but never dull, life."
There are a lot of unanswered questions about the story in Legion. We know that it will follow David Haller, Professor X’s son in the comic books, but we don’t know if the series will stick to its source completely. What we do know is that Legion will not be related to the X-Men Franchise.
The pilot episode will run on FX, but there is no official airing date.
